I'm going to come right out and say it, this is going to be a long post. I will do my best to keep it short, and by doing so I may glaze over some units. I will only try to do so with the very obvious ones that we all know how to use, but this is gonna be a big one.
I'm also going to do something a little different and divide the review into 4 parts, each one representing a specific god. Since that is not how the codex is laid out, I will be jumping all over the place. So to start us off, lets look at the army wide special rules, regardless of allegiance. First up, Daemonic gives a 5++ save. Second is Daemonic Ritual, or summoning. For those of you who don't know how summoning actually works, let me do a quick run down. A CHAOS CHARACTER has to be the one to summon the unit, and he cannot have moved in the movement phase, and it's done at the end of the phase. Choose one of the 4 Gods, and if the character is aligned to a god, it must be that god, then roll up to 3D6. You may summon a unit that has a power rating of the result of the dice or lower and deploy them wholly within 12" of the summoning character and more than 9" from an enemy unit. In matched play this new unit costs reinforcement points. If you rolled doubles on the dice you suffer a mortal wound, and if you rolled triples you suffer D3 mortal wounds.
One last thing I want to quickly mention is that there are almost no weapon upgrades in this book, which means that all the weapons that are standard equipment are free, GW has already calculated the cost of the weapon into the base cost of the model.
So I wanna delay getting into anything good and discuss summoning for a bit as I don't typically see it happen in games. I think that will change. First off, it's a good way to deep strike in a unit without having to spend any command points, as those are the only 2 ways that units can deep strike in this army, save for nurglings. Secondly, it saves you from having to deploy units, greatly reducing the number of drops you have and increasing the chance you have at getting first turn. Thirdly, have you ever had that moment when you really wish you had unit AAA instead of unit BBB because unit BBB is better against everything except unit AAA? Well don't worry, because if you leave unit BBB out of your army and summon it in when you need it, you can choose unit CCC when you see that your opponent has AAA. Because we all know that CCC totally kills AAA.
Khorne, not much by the way of flair here, but they do what they do and they do it well. What do they do you ask? Punch you right in the face, hard. Starting off with their own special rule, Unstoppable Ferocity, which gives a unit +1A and +1S on the turn it charged, was charged, or did a Heroic Intervention until the end of the turn. This is pretty awesome, and very Blood Angels-esq. Almost like they copied it or something... If you have a whole detachment of only Khorne units, all the characters in the detachment gain a 6" aura that lets units re-roll charge rolls.
On to the units, starting with the big boys, the Bloodthirsters. It looks to me like the bad boy with the massive axe is going to be the winner again, able to destroy 2 rhinos in a single round of combat, or wipe out 7 MEQ's with his alternate way of swinging. The others are good, but fall in-between the 2 methods of swing that the Rage has, neither one really reaching the damage output. The one point that the Wrath and Fury Thirsters have over the Rage one is that their WS does not degrade as they take damage. Combat is their bread and butter and if they start losing their ability to punch you, then it's all over.
The junior thirster, or Daemon Prince, is a good choice as usual. Just few enough wounds to keep him hidden, and enough attacks to make him scary, plus a re-roll 1's to hit aura. The Prince is also the perfect one to wield either of the 2 relic weapons. The blade of kings is a +1S, -4AP, and 3D weapon that grants re-rolls failed wound rolls vs characters, and the Skullreaver is a +3S -4AP d6D axe that grants re-rolls failed wound rolls vs titanic units plus each time a wound roll of 6+ it inflicts d3 mortal wounds in addition to the normal damage.
You get 3 versions of the herald now, on foot, on a Juggernaut, and on a Chariot thing. None of them have very impressive movement so they will struggle getting close, but once they get there they are fairly scary, and they have a 6" aura that gives +1S to Khorne daemons. Their blade of blood is fairly impressive for standard weapon, being basically a Force Sword with the ability that it causes a straight 3D on a 6 to wound. The Bloodmaster is a great choice as a force multiplier, with only 3A he isn't going to do a lot of work, but the +1S he gives to all the Bloodletters around him will be amazing. The Skullmaster is basically the same shtick, except he costs almost double and does not do double, I would much rather have 2 Bloodmasters than 1 Skullmaster. The Blood Throne is the same price as the Skullmaster, and is much tougher and killier, and regenerates wounds when it kills something with it's nifty mortal wound charging attack.
Since one of the above dudes is gonna be your warlord (assuming you're going mono Khorne), there are a couple warlord traits that are worth taking. Oblivious to Pain gives you a 6+ FNP, but if you manage to save a wound with it you can re-roll failed hit and wound rolls until the end of your next turn. That would be the perfect time to pull out Frenetic Bloodlust, spend those 3CP and have that unit attack again, doubly so if it's the first round of combat so he still has his Unstoppable Ferocity bonus.
The 3 basic units that are available to the Khorne army are the Bloodletters(Troops), Skullcrushers(Elites), and Flesh Hounds(Fast). Now these units are all very punchy, in fact that's all they really do, but when you rank them in order of how good they are in the areas that a punchy unit needs to be good in, they are all over the place. I'm going to list a couple areas that an assault based unit needs to be good in, and then rank them in order from best to worst, using the idea that each unit is approximately 150 points and near a Herald for that +1S and it's the first round of combat for the Unstoppable Ferocity
Damage VS MEQs(models killed): Bloodletters(20), Bloodcrushers(7), Flesh Hounds(6)
Damage VS Guardsmen(models killed): Bloodletters(30), Flesh Hounds(14), Bloodcrushers(11)
Damage VS Rhino(wounds dealt): Bloodletters(16), Bloodcrushers(7), Flesh Hounds(3)
Durability(number of bolters to kill unit): Flesh Hounds(90), Bloodletters(71), Bloodcrushers(54)
Durability(number of lascannons to kill unit): Bloodletters(55), Flesh Hounds(27), Bloodcrushers(8)
Speed: Flesh Hounds, Bloodcrushers, Bloodletters.
Furies have to get shoe-horned into here somewhere. I have to say, they are a sight better than they have been in previous editions, and on the side of Khorne they can be pretty darn scary to weaker targets. They are more expensive than Bloodletters, but with similar stats and a 12" move, it's not a surprise. Hell, on the turn they charge they have 3A and S5.
In the heavy slot we have the Skullcannon, which sounds really cool but it's not really. A chariot thing with a 48" Heavy D6 S8 -2AP d3D cannon on the back, and it ignores the bonus to saves from cover. It does have some mild combat capabilities and it is fairly durable with T7, 7W, and a 3+/5++, but for 100 points you are paying for a gun that can't move in order to shoot well, and if it isn't moving it's not using it combat abilities, but if it's in combat it's not shooting, but you're still paying for both.
Now, if you want the whole package, look no further than the Soul Grinder. Can it shoot? Yeah. Can it punch? Oh yeah. Is it durable? Sure. Is it really good at it? No, not really, but it does them all. With a 4+WS and 4+BS, it doesn't matter how many awesome guns or weapons you give the thing, it's only ever running at 50% at best. If it can shoot and charge a MEQ unit, it's only going to kill 5 models. That is not very good for 235 points. Even against a Rhino he is barely able to kill the thing if he shoots and assaults it, assuming he was stationary before he shot.
Now lets pick it up flip it and reverse it and go in a whole other direction. Or should I say...misdirection? Cause of Tzeentch, and his ways of trickery. Never mind. Special rules? They all get +1 to their invulnerable saves. If the whole detachment is made up of Tzeentchian units, every character in the detachment gains a 6" aura that modifies the enemies attacks in the fight phase. Here is how it works. Roll 2D6, discard the highest. All hit rolls, after re-rolls but before modifiers, that are the same result as the die you rolled fail to hit. Then you apply modifiers, if any, to the remaining dice. Fucking tricksey tzeentch.
How about that Lord of Change? Nice new model, a little bit of a revamp, and this guy is deadly. While not a slouch in combat, that is definitely not his area of expertise. That would be the 2 powers per turn he can cast, from the 4 powers he knows. He has a very impressive stat line with T7 and 16W and a 4++, and gets a bonus to his psychic test starting at +2 when he is at full health. The coolest thing about him is his rod. Umm, I mean, his Rod of Sorcery, it increases the range of Smite to 30". Now you don't have to get close to the centre of the fight, you can skirt the edges and hide behind screens all the while tossing psychic bombs overhead, but it is still vulnerable to shooting. That's why the Impossible Robes might be worth taking in order to keep your big guy safe. They give the wearer a 4++(3++ thanks to Ephemeral Form). Then once per game you can re-roll a failed save, but if that re-roll comes up a 1, the wearer instantly dies. So make sure it's worth it.
Again we have 3 Heralds, one of foot, one on a disc of Tzeentch, and one on a chariot. Each can cast one power, has the +1S 6" aura, and can boost their own smite to 24". The Changecaster(foot) and the Fluxmaster(disc) are essentially identical except for their movement. They can pump out the psychic powers smiting shit like mad. With the new test rules for smite in effect at most tourneys, you can give one of them the Everstave which gives a +1 when casting smite. So if he goes second you still only need a 5+ to cast it, then the Lord of Change can go next and still only need 5+ to cast it. The Fateskimmer has the added bonus of having 2 screamers able to attack in combat, extra T and W.
Once again we have the Daemon Prince, who is a great junior version of the Greater Deamon. There isn't a weapon available to him so his combat prowess is as normal, and he doesn't get any increased casting powers for being Tzeentch, but he does get the +1 to his invulnerable save. He is half the points of a Lord of Change though, so you can take 2 of him and come to roughly the same power level, except with princes you can hide them behind other units because if their low wound count, and you can spread out their effectiveness. They also have the 6" re-roll 1's to hit aura.
Now all of the above dudes can cast psychic powers, so lets talk about them. Boon of Change, casting value of 7, pick a tzeentch daemon unit, roll a d3, the unit gets +1A +1S OR +1T. Bolt of Change has a casting value 8, pick a unit and deal d3 mortal wounds to it. If it kills a character place a spawn model within 1" of the character (you have to pay the reinforcement points). Gaze of Fate, casting value 6, you get 1 re-roll for any single die this turn. Treason of Tzeentch has a casting value of 8, pick a character that is not the enemies warlord and roll 2d6, if the result is higher than the characters Ld you control that character for the rest of your turn. Flickering Flames, casting value 5, friendly Tzeentch Daemon unit gains +1 to wound for their shooting weapons until your next psychic phase. Infernal Gateway has a casting value of 8, and it's basically the holy hand grenade. It targets the nearest enemy model within 12" and in LOS and deal d3 mortal wound to it's unit and to EVERY other unit (friend or foe) within 3" of that model. It does D6 mortal wounds if the power is cast with a 12+.
I've gone through the powers, and the casters, but there are a couple really cool combos that we can use to really augment the casters ability to cast. First up, the Locus of Conjuration stratagem allows you to re-roll all failed psychic tests for psykers within 6" of a Tzeench Daemon Character you choose, that's a good way to start off all key psychic phases. Now you have 3 warlord traits that buff your psychic phase, +1 to your first psychic test that phase, +6" to the range of your first power cast that phase, and a 2+ to ignore Perils of the Warp. Next up are the relics, one of which lets your caster know an additional power, and the other gives a +1 to casting smite. Finally, the Gaze of Fate power itself, allowing you to re-roll a single die in your turn can be a greater benefit than +1 to cast your first power.
So lets look at some options, Lord of Change, +1 to cast first power warlord trait, and +1 to cast smite relic. First you cast Gaze of Fate with +3 to cast, then toss out a smite with a +3 to cast. That means you only need to roll a 8 to get d6 mortal wounds and this will be at 30". With the Gaze re-roll and a command re-roll it's not hard. Or you can cast Gaze from another source and your LoC has +4 to cast smite.
What Khorne is to combat, Tzeentch is to shooting. Pink horrors, Flamers, and Exalted Flamers all have some pretty decent shooting attacks and there is a number of ways of making them better. Pinks have a 18” assault 2 shooting attack that turns to assault 3 with 20 or more models in the unit. Flamers have 12” d6 pistol -1Ap that auto hits. An Exalted Flamer has a -2Ap d6 pistol that auto hits that has an alternate fire mode that’s Heavy 3 S+4 -4Ap and d3D. Yeah S+4 you read correctly. All of the ranged weapons in these units have a S value of "user". That means that when you are next to one of the 3 heralds your shooting weapon also increases in S, if you make that Herald your warlord you can give him the warlord trait Daemonspark which gives a 9" aura of re-roll 1's to hit in the shooting phase, then if you cast Flickering Flames on the unit their shooting attacks get +1 to wound. Lets do the same thing we did with the Khorne units and compare them against each other using the same set of factors, with all the above buffs included. There will be an additional caveat though, I will not be taking into account the ability for Pinks to turn into Blues and Brims. I will also not include Blues or Brims in the comparison because they don't kill anything, ever, and they are not durable. They are simply cheap ways of filling slots and I honestly think that you should not be able to actually buy units of them, they should only be available after Pinks die, and should be free at that. I want to include the Burning Chariot, simply because it's an Exalted Flamer on a chariot and pretty much does the same thing, but there isn't a simple points value to use that incorporates all available units. SO, I am going to use a value of around 180 points but things will not line up perfectly, so take that into consideration. This will be a unit of 25 Pinks, 6 Flamers, 2 Exalted Flamers and a single Burning Chariots(only 120 points). The Exalted flamers and Chariot have 2 fire methods, the first will be the heavy shot and the second will be the lighter shot, and it will be taken into account that the model has moved.
Damage VS MEQs(models killed): Flamers(10), Pinks(8), Exalted Flamers(3/4), Burning Chariot(1/2)
Damage VS Guardsmen(models killed): Pinks(19), Flamers(15), Exalted Flamer(3/6), Burning Chariot(2/3)
Damage VS Rhino(wounds dealt): Pinks(7), Exalted Flamers(6/3), Flamers(5), Chariots(3/1)
Durability(number of bolters to kill unit): Burning Chariot(144), Pinks(135), Flamers(108), Exalted Flamer(72)
Durability(number of lascannons to kill unit): Pinks(106), Flamers(31), Chariots(24), Exalted Flamers(19)
Speed: Burning Chariots, Flamers, Exalted Flamers, Pinks
There is one other Tzeentch unit that is very un-tzeentch like...
...the Screamer. This thing has combat written all over it. First off it can move 16", which is fast. It can use that super long movement to move over unit and do a mortal wound on a 6 for each screamer in the unit. Then it can charge and use it's 3A, S6, -3AP 2D attacks to do some real damage. Like the previous units, it's weapon is user+2, so the herald's ability will increase it to S7, and if you happen to get Boon of Change on the unit it could be S8 or have 4A. Even with a 4+WS it's still 9-10 dead MEQ's and 15 wounds on a rhino. These guys will take a serious bite out of whatever they attack.
Furies and Soul Grinders are pretty much the same as previously mentioned. Not really all that deadly, but a little bit more durable with a 4++.
3rd on the list is Nurgle, and boy did he get some serious love in this edition. Some new units, models to go along with them, and a strong set of rules to go along with those. Everyone has disgustingly resilient, as we all expected, and if you take a detachment of only gurgle daemons the characters gain an aura that each time you roll a 6+ to wound, the attack deals 1 additional damage. This is not a mortal wound, so saves still apply, it just increases the damage of the attack that the model is making.
Lets continue with the flow that been pouring out of me so far and start with the Great Unclean One and his brand spanking new model. Of all the Greater Daemons he has the most weapon options, and probably could have come up with completely new unit entries for them like what they did with the Bloodthirsters. They didn't, and instead we get this weird restriction on combinations of weapons that can and can't happen. For example, you can't take a bilesword and a doomsday bell at the same time, nor can you take a plague flail and bileblade at the same time. What do these very cool sounding weapons do? Lets find out. The plague flail is actually a ranged weapon that can also be used when within 1" of the enemy and on enemy model within 1" of friendly models. It has a 7" range, is assault 3, S user, -3AP, 2D, and the damage dealt by the flail carries over if it kills a model, good start. The bileblade is S user, -3AP, d3D, can re-roll failed wound rolls, and the GUO can use it to inflict a mortal wound on himself before he takes a psychic test to gain +1 to it, continuing on strong. The bilesword is a straight up damage dealing weapon with no finesse, S+1, -3AP, d6D, and re-rolling all failed wounds, at S8 and 2+WS he is going to hurt something. The doomsday bell is an interesting one, S+1, -1AP, d3D is not as good as the other stat lines, but the bell allows the GUO to roll 4d6 when summoning Nurgle daemons and at the start of each turn he rolls a d6 for each unit of plaguebearers within 7" and on a 4+ they get a model back. Some serious potential here, especially if you are going the rout of summoning. What else can he do? Well, he can cast 2 psychic powers, deny 1, deals a mortal wound to a unit he charged on a 4+, and has 18 wounds, a 5++ and a 5+FNP. He is going to be a tough one to bring down.
If you like the idea of keeping on replacing plaguebearers over and over again, the Horn of Nurgle's Rot will allow you to do this. Roll a d6 for each model he kills in the fight phase, and on a 4+ you add a model to a unit of plaguebearers within 7".
The Prince doesn't change much, he becomes disgustingly resilient, but none of the weapons are really all that great for him so he pretty much gets DR and the psychic powers.
Keeping up with tradition there are 3 herald type units. The Poxbringer is the new name for standard Herald and he comes with the typical +1S aura that all the other Heralds have. He can cast one power and deny one power and comes with a fairly impressive stat line with WS and BS +2 and both S and T 5. He carries, essentially, a power sword that can re-roll to wound rolls. Pretty simple, super effective HQ unit.
With the 2 psykers done, lets go over the Nurgle psychic powers, and they are damn good. Stream of Corruption has a casting value of 5, a range of 7", and deals d3 mortal wounds, or d6 mortal wounds if the target unit has 10 or more models. Fleshy Abundance has a casting value of 5 and regenerates D3 lost wounds to a model within 18" of the caster. Nurgles Rot is a 7" aura that deals d3 mortal wounds to each non-Nurgle unit on a 4+. The Shrivelling Pox has a casting value of 6 and a range of 18" that gives the target unit -1T. Virulent Blessing has a casting value of 7 and a range of 18", it give +1 to wound rolls in the fight phase and for each roll of 7+ that attack does double damage. Lastly Miasma of Pestilence has a casting value of 6 ad a range of 18", until the start of your next psychic phase enemy units get a -1 to hit when targeting the target unit.
New to the codex is the Sloppity Bilepiper. Yes, that is a thing that actually exists. The SB has 2 aura abilities, the first lets friendly Nurgle Daemons take morale checks with 2 dice and discard the highest. This increases the chance of rolling a 1 and regaining models back into the unit. The second gives a +1A to nurglings and GUO and lets them charge after they advance. The last new unit is the Spoilpox Scrivener, he also has 2 special aura abilities that add 2” to plaguebearer infantry units movement and gives a +1 to hit rolls for plaguebearers with rolls of 7+ granting additional attacks. What's with those names? Seriously GW, I get that you're going for the jovial Papa Nurgle, but I think these guys go a little over the top.
Now if you don't see it, stop focusing and try to see past the picture cause this shit is like one of those magic eye things and it's about to get cray cray all up in here.
So, Plaguebearers, they are neat right? If there are 20 or more of them in a unit enemies have a -1 to hit penalty. These guys are the canvas in which we will paint this masterpiece. First we add a Scrivener, makes the Plaguebearers M7" and they now hit on 2+ with 6's adding hits, tack on a Poxbringer and the Plaguebearers are S5. Next you use your Plague Banner to make all their plagueswords 2D, add Virulent Blessing for a +1 to wound and on a 7+ dealing DOUBLE DAMAGE! Next we have the Locus which deals an extra damage on a wound roll of 6+, which is now 5+ thanks to VB. Finally the Shrivelling Pox lowers the enemies T. Let all that seep in, S5, 3+ to hit, 2+ to wound most infantry, 4+ to wound anything T6-9, 2D, 3D on a wound roll of 5+, 5D on a wound roll of 6+, and re-rolling failed wound rolls. If you happen to have a Prince nearby you also re-roll 1's to hit. All said an done, 30 Plaguebearers with all them bells and whistles can nearly bring down 2 knights in one round of combat putting around 25 wounds on them, if I mathed right.
Nurglings can "infiltrate", like scouts but they are easier to hide. Great for grabbing objectives and holding back the enemies scouts and deep strikers. Board control baby.
Beasts of Nurgle got some new models and they finally look the part of stupid, horrifying, daemon puppy dog. I don't like the models, I don't like the story behind them, and their rules are meh. They are T5 with 5W and DR, so they are somewhat tough. They can perform a heroic intervention like a character, which might not be too bad if you have a decent sized unit then wandering into a combat your opponent didn't expect them to be in might be enough to turn the tide, even with their random number of attacks. Then when you're opponent decides it might be best to fall back the unit will take a mortal wound on a 4+.
Plague Drones are a little better, even though they have one less wound, they have 5A, a shooting weapon, and M10". While their WS and BS is only 4+, their ability to re-roll wounds is strong, especially with the 4 Rot Fly attacks that have D2. With no AP they are not doing much damage to heavily armoured units, but to tough things with lower saves, like other daemons, they will cause some troubles. Get them in range of a prince from a detachment and they are also re-rolling 1's to hit and getting extra wounds on a 6+ to wound.
Furies and Soul Grinders happen again, once again not changing much. There is some debate as to whether a 5++ and a 5+FNP is better than a 4++, but that's the only debate happening with these guys. I will say that the Furies are fast, and that is something the Nurgle Daemons don't have much of and could use a little more of, but the Furies are sort of expensive and I would rather have 3 Plague Drones than 10 Furies.
Lets throw down those number real quick on units of 150 points, although to keep things a little more on the simpler side, I will only be including the buffs from the Locus, a nearby Herald, and the psychic power Shrivelling Pox. If I start adding all of the bonuses the math starts getting real complicated.
Damage VS MEQs: Plague Drones(5), Plaguebearers(3), Beasts(3)
Damage VS Guardsmen: Plague Drones(15), Plaguebearers(7), Beasts(6)
Damage VS Rhino: Plague Drones(6), Beasts(5), Plaguebearers(4)
Durability(number of bolters to kill unit): Plaguebearers(126), Beasts(104), Plague Drones(75)
Durability(number of lascannons to kill unit): Plaguebearers(93), Beasts(42), Plague Drones(36)
Speed: Plague Drones, Beasts, Plaguebearers
The Feculent Gnarlmaw is a Nurgle tree. It cannot move, is treated as terrain once deployed, and cannot be targeted or affected by attacks. It literally becomes a piece of neutral terrain, except for its host of Nurgle helping rules. All non-vehicle and non-monster Nurgle Daemon units entirely within 7” add 2 to their armour save, bringing most of them up to a 4+. At the start of your turn, all non-Nurgle units within 3” suffer a mortal wound on a 4+ or d3 mortal wounds on a 6. Nurgle Daemon units within 7” at the start of their turn can still shoot and charge even if they fell back or advanced. Finally, you can re-roll the summoning dice when a Chaos Character is within 7” and attempts to summon a Nurgle Daemon unit.
Damage VS MEQs(models killed): Flamers(10), Pinks(8), Exalted Flamers(3/4), Burning Chariot(1/2)
Damage VS Guardsmen(models killed): Pinks(19), Flamers(15), Exalted Flamer(3/6), Burning Chariot(2/3)
Damage VS Rhino(wounds dealt): Pinks(7), Exalted Flamers(6/3), Flamers(5), Chariots(3/1)
Durability(number of bolters to kill unit): Burning Chariot(144), Pinks(135), Flamers(108), Exalted Flamer(72)
Durability(number of lascannons to kill unit): Pinks(106), Flamers(31), Chariots(24), Exalted Flamers(19)
Speed: Burning Chariots, Flamers, Exalted Flamers, Pinks
There is one other Tzeentch unit that is very un-tzeentch like...
Furies and Soul Grinders are pretty much the same as previously mentioned. Not really all that deadly, but a little bit more durable with a 4++.
3rd on the list is Nurgle, and boy did he get some serious love in this edition. Some new units, models to go along with them, and a strong set of rules to go along with those. Everyone has disgustingly resilient, as we all expected, and if you take a detachment of only gurgle daemons the characters gain an aura that each time you roll a 6+ to wound, the attack deals 1 additional damage. This is not a mortal wound, so saves still apply, it just increases the damage of the attack that the model is making.
Lets continue with the flow that been pouring out of me so far and start with the Great Unclean One and his brand spanking new model. Of all the Greater Daemons he has the most weapon options, and probably could have come up with completely new unit entries for them like what they did with the Bloodthirsters. They didn't, and instead we get this weird restriction on combinations of weapons that can and can't happen. For example, you can't take a bilesword and a doomsday bell at the same time, nor can you take a plague flail and bileblade at the same time. What do these very cool sounding weapons do? Lets find out. The plague flail is actually a ranged weapon that can also be used when within 1" of the enemy and on enemy model within 1" of friendly models. It has a 7" range, is assault 3, S user, -3AP, 2D, and the damage dealt by the flail carries over if it kills a model, good start. The bileblade is S user, -3AP, d3D, can re-roll failed wound rolls, and the GUO can use it to inflict a mortal wound on himself before he takes a psychic test to gain +1 to it, continuing on strong. The bilesword is a straight up damage dealing weapon with no finesse, S+1, -3AP, d6D, and re-rolling all failed wounds, at S8 and 2+WS he is going to hurt something. The doomsday bell is an interesting one, S+1, -1AP, d3D is not as good as the other stat lines, but the bell allows the GUO to roll 4d6 when summoning Nurgle daemons and at the start of each turn he rolls a d6 for each unit of plaguebearers within 7" and on a 4+ they get a model back. Some serious potential here, especially if you are going the rout of summoning. What else can he do? Well, he can cast 2 psychic powers, deny 1, deals a mortal wound to a unit he charged on a 4+, and has 18 wounds, a 5++ and a 5+FNP. He is going to be a tough one to bring down.
If you like the idea of keeping on replacing plaguebearers over and over again, the Horn of Nurgle's Rot will allow you to do this. Roll a d6 for each model he kills in the fight phase, and on a 4+ you add a model to a unit of plaguebearers within 7".
The Prince doesn't change much, he becomes disgustingly resilient, but none of the weapons are really all that great for him so he pretty much gets DR and the psychic powers.
Keeping up with tradition there are 3 herald type units. The Poxbringer is the new name for standard Herald and he comes with the typical +1S aura that all the other Heralds have. He can cast one power and deny one power and comes with a fairly impressive stat line with WS and BS +2 and both S and T 5. He carries, essentially, a power sword that can re-roll to wound rolls. Pretty simple, super effective HQ unit.
With the 2 psykers done, lets go over the Nurgle psychic powers, and they are damn good. Stream of Corruption has a casting value of 5, a range of 7", and deals d3 mortal wounds, or d6 mortal wounds if the target unit has 10 or more models. Fleshy Abundance has a casting value of 5 and regenerates D3 lost wounds to a model within 18" of the caster. Nurgles Rot is a 7" aura that deals d3 mortal wounds to each non-Nurgle unit on a 4+. The Shrivelling Pox has a casting value of 6 and a range of 18" that gives the target unit -1T. Virulent Blessing has a casting value of 7 and a range of 18", it give +1 to wound rolls in the fight phase and for each roll of 7+ that attack does double damage. Lastly Miasma of Pestilence has a casting value of 6 ad a range of 18", until the start of your next psychic phase enemy units get a -1 to hit when targeting the target unit.
New to the codex is the Sloppity Bilepiper. Yes, that is a thing that actually exists. The SB has 2 aura abilities, the first lets friendly Nurgle Daemons take morale checks with 2 dice and discard the highest. This increases the chance of rolling a 1 and regaining models back into the unit. The second gives a +1A to nurglings and GUO and lets them charge after they advance. The last new unit is the Spoilpox Scrivener, he also has 2 special aura abilities that add 2” to plaguebearer infantry units movement and gives a +1 to hit rolls for plaguebearers with rolls of 7+ granting additional attacks. What's with those names? Seriously GW, I get that you're going for the jovial Papa Nurgle, but I think these guys go a little over the top.
Now if you don't see it, stop focusing and try to see past the picture cause this shit is like one of those magic eye things and it's about to get cray cray all up in here.
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| Even better than that |
Nurglings can "infiltrate", like scouts but they are easier to hide. Great for grabbing objectives and holding back the enemies scouts and deep strikers. Board control baby.
Beasts of Nurgle got some new models and they finally look the part of stupid, horrifying, daemon puppy dog. I don't like the models, I don't like the story behind them, and their rules are meh. They are T5 with 5W and DR, so they are somewhat tough. They can perform a heroic intervention like a character, which might not be too bad if you have a decent sized unit then wandering into a combat your opponent didn't expect them to be in might be enough to turn the tide, even with their random number of attacks. Then when you're opponent decides it might be best to fall back the unit will take a mortal wound on a 4+.
Plague Drones are a little better, even though they have one less wound, they have 5A, a shooting weapon, and M10". While their WS and BS is only 4+, their ability to re-roll wounds is strong, especially with the 4 Rot Fly attacks that have D2. With no AP they are not doing much damage to heavily armoured units, but to tough things with lower saves, like other daemons, they will cause some troubles. Get them in range of a prince from a detachment and they are also re-rolling 1's to hit and getting extra wounds on a 6+ to wound.
Furies and Soul Grinders happen again, once again not changing much. There is some debate as to whether a 5++ and a 5+FNP is better than a 4++, but that's the only debate happening with these guys. I will say that the Furies are fast, and that is something the Nurgle Daemons don't have much of and could use a little more of, but the Furies are sort of expensive and I would rather have 3 Plague Drones than 10 Furies.
Lets throw down those number real quick on units of 150 points, although to keep things a little more on the simpler side, I will only be including the buffs from the Locus, a nearby Herald, and the psychic power Shrivelling Pox. If I start adding all of the bonuses the math starts getting real complicated.
Damage VS MEQs: Plague Drones(5), Plaguebearers(3), Beasts(3)
Damage VS Guardsmen: Plague Drones(15), Plaguebearers(7), Beasts(6)
Damage VS Rhino: Plague Drones(6), Beasts(5), Plaguebearers(4)
Durability(number of bolters to kill unit): Plaguebearers(126), Beasts(104), Plague Drones(75)
Durability(number of lascannons to kill unit): Plaguebearers(93), Beasts(42), Plague Drones(36)
Speed: Plague Drones, Beasts, Plaguebearers
The Feculent Gnarlmaw is a Nurgle tree. It cannot move, is treated as terrain once deployed, and cannot be targeted or affected by attacks. It literally becomes a piece of neutral terrain, except for its host of Nurgle helping rules. All non-vehicle and non-monster Nurgle Daemon units entirely within 7” add 2 to their armour save, bringing most of them up to a 4+. At the start of your turn, all non-Nurgle units within 3” suffer a mortal wound on a 4+ or d3 mortal wounds on a 6. Nurgle Daemon units within 7” at the start of their turn can still shoot and charge even if they fell back or advanced. Finally, you can re-roll the summoning dice when a Chaos Character is within 7” and attempts to summon a Nurgle Daemon unit.
Our last god, and seemingly last in the eyes of GW, is Slaanesh, the Prince of Pleasure, or She Who Thirsts. While most of you have the vision of boobs and crab claws all akimbo, there is only really one description of Slaanesh, that of a young lithe man full of the vigour of life radiating an androgynous beauty. So more like this...
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| Why do you look so surprised? |
The rules for the Slaanesh units is that they always strike first in combat, and if the enemy has something that also strikes first, like unit that charged or also have a similar ability, then you alternate starting with the player whose turn it is. Their Locus, for detachments consisting of only Slaanesh Daemons, is that 6" aura for characters like the other gods, but it allows units in the aura to charge eve if they advanced.
Top of the pile we have the Keeper of Secrets, the not as impressive model or rules as its 3 cooler bigger brothers. But like all younger siblings, heshe has something to prove. A decent stat line, with less digression as damage increases than other greater Daemons, heshe only has 12 wounds, the least of them, and has no named version but is nearly 100 points less than the others. However, it has a dazzling array of abilities it uses to keep itself alive starting with its Mesmerizing Aura that gives a -1 to hit penalty to anyone targeting the KoS in the fight phase. It also has the witstealer sword, and any model that suffers any wounds from this weapon receives a -1 to hit rolls. And this sword is +1S, -3AP, and 3D so fairly impressive, but only the strong will survive to feel its wit stealing abilities. So if you hit a big monster and manage to deal some damage to it it will be swinging back with a -2 to hit, but we are not done there because the KoS can cast 2 powers. One of which is Symphony of Pain which tacks on another -1 to all hit rolls, it has a casting value of 6 and auto targets the closest enemy unit. Next we use a Stratagem, and for 1CP all enemy units within 3" of the Slaanesh Daemon unit we choose has -1A, to a minimum of 1 and we can stack the Bewitching Aura warlord trait on that for another -1A aura with a 6" range. What I am saying is that this guy can go toe to toe with any big bad monster out there and probably come out ahead in the long run. Even if he gets mobbed by a really hard unit, that stratagem can still be used, and his warlord trait will still be in effect as well as his Mesmerizing aura, so a unit charging him will still have -1 to hit and -2A. Even if he is mobbed by a shit ton of orks, they still need 108 attacks at S4 to kill him, which is harder to do with orks when you de-buff them.
We still have the standard Herald, who gives out the obligatory +1S aura and thats about it.
Yeah, only 2 non-character HQs, I was fairly disappointed. I have to take a second to complain here because the whole book, right up till this point was super on point. To leave Slaanesh hanging in the wind like that made me pretty upset. I have no particular love for Slaanesh, but it's 1/4 of the ultimate bad guys in the universe we know that they just didn't want to take the time to invest in. Don't give me that bullshit about no models or protecting IP. There are more HQ units in the index that didn't make it into the codex...why is that? Why is there a Herald of Slaanesh on a steed in the index but not in the codex? Why the fuck is it still called a Herald of Slaanesh?!? The other 3 gods got cool new names for their Heralds. Changecaster, Skullmaster, Poxbringer... Herald of Slaanesh.
Now, that's not to say that Slaanesh is bad, in fact I'm going to make it my personal goal to make you see just how fucking deadly they can be. Because that poor, untanned, son of a bitch in that picture might not look fabulous, but he can lick his eyebrows, so he never leaves the bar alone.
I already got started with the KoS, mentioned the Herald, who is only there to make the rest of the army that much more deadly, and now I will move onto daemonettes. They epitomize what the Slaaneshi army does best, loads and loads of dice thrown at the situation until it goes away. With 2A each, 3 when there are 20 or more models in the unit, they rack up the dice pretty quick. However, with only S3, they really need that Herald nearby for the +1S, but they have a straight up -1AP, and -4AP on a wound roll of 6+. Seekers are the same, but faster, and can re-roll charge rolls. The Fiends, now here is a unit to fear for one simple reason called Soporific Musk. This does not allow units within 1" to fall back unless they can fly. Everything else can be glazed over, and in fact, here comes some glazing, 150 points worth of it. With some easy buffs of course, lets have a Herald and a prince next to them and the enemy unit has Symphony of Pain for a little defence.
Damage VS MEQs: Daemonettes(16), Seekers(5), Fiends(4)
Damage VS Guardsmen: Daemonettes(29), Seekers(11), Fiends(4)
Damage VS Rhino: Daemonettes(12), Fiends(5), Seekers(3)
Durability(number of bolters to kill unit): Daemonettes(95), Seekers(63), Fiends(54)
Durability(number of lascannons to kill unit): Daemonettes(74), Seekers(24), Fiends(11)
Speed: Seekers, Fiends, Daemonettes
Now I know it looks bad for the Fiends, they don't hit first in any of the categories and they don't excel at killing infantry or monsters. They are better a taking out those buffing characters that are becoming more and more crucial as the game grows. We saw how deadly Plaguebearers can become with a Scrivener next to them, with a Fiends speed and multi-wound attacks he poses quite a threat to them. I don't have a section on the comparison list for characters, I figured 6 areas would be enough.
However, with that set of data, we are not done with Slaanesh because we have yet to cover some of the craziest units yet, the chariots. Not only do they look somewhat ridiculous and awesome at the same time, they can do some serious damage.
Starting with the Hellflayer we see a decent stat line, 12", WS/BS 3+, S4, T5, 6W, 5A, and a 4+SV. The save is fairly important making the chariots one of the more durable Slaaneshi units. For 95 points though, it doesn't seem to be enough of anything...until we get to it's attacks. It 5A are made with the typical Slaaneshi claws, -1AP and -4 on a wound roll of 6, but it also has an assault d6, S4, 6" ranged attack that can be made while within 1" of enemy units and at unit within 1" of friendly units. I want to interrupt for a second to mention that this is different that a pistol in that a pistol can only fire at enemy unit that are within 1" of friendlies if the bearer is also within 1" of an enemy unit. Take a look at the wording closely and you will see what I mean. The lashes of torment however, can fire into combat as the chariot drives by and then charge into something else. We are not done with it's attacks though, as it also has d6 attacks made by the bladed axle that are Sx2, -1AP, and 2D, finally the steeds can attack with their 4 S4 attacks. All tallied up it can make between 10 and 15 S4 attacks and 1-6 S8 attacks. While its only killing 3 marines, it's taking out 7 Guardsmen, which is not too bad for a single model of 100 points.
Next up we have the Seeker Chariot, and the main difference is the replacing of the bladed axle with scything impact which deals a mortal wound on a 6 for each enemy model within 1" when it finishes a charge move. That equates to a 30 Point drop though, so not too bad for 70 points.
Top of the pile we have the Keeper of Secrets, the not as impressive model or rules as its 3 cooler bigger brothers. But like all younger siblings, heshe has something to prove. A decent stat line, with less digression as damage increases than other greater Daemons, heshe only has 12 wounds, the least of them, and has no named version but is nearly 100 points less than the others. However, it has a dazzling array of abilities it uses to keep itself alive starting with its Mesmerizing Aura that gives a -1 to hit penalty to anyone targeting the KoS in the fight phase. It also has the witstealer sword, and any model that suffers any wounds from this weapon receives a -1 to hit rolls. And this sword is +1S, -3AP, and 3D so fairly impressive, but only the strong will survive to feel its wit stealing abilities. So if you hit a big monster and manage to deal some damage to it it will be swinging back with a -2 to hit, but we are not done there because the KoS can cast 2 powers. One of which is Symphony of Pain which tacks on another -1 to all hit rolls, it has a casting value of 6 and auto targets the closest enemy unit. Next we use a Stratagem, and for 1CP all enemy units within 3" of the Slaanesh Daemon unit we choose has -1A, to a minimum of 1 and we can stack the Bewitching Aura warlord trait on that for another -1A aura with a 6" range. What I am saying is that this guy can go toe to toe with any big bad monster out there and probably come out ahead in the long run. Even if he gets mobbed by a really hard unit, that stratagem can still be used, and his warlord trait will still be in effect as well as his Mesmerizing aura, so a unit charging him will still have -1 to hit and -2A. Even if he is mobbed by a shit ton of orks, they still need 108 attacks at S4 to kill him, which is harder to do with orks when you de-buff them.
We still have the standard Herald, who gives out the obligatory +1S aura and thats about it.
Yeah, only 2 non-character HQs, I was fairly disappointed. I have to take a second to complain here because the whole book, right up till this point was super on point. To leave Slaanesh hanging in the wind like that made me pretty upset. I have no particular love for Slaanesh, but it's 1/4 of the ultimate bad guys in the universe we know that they just didn't want to take the time to invest in. Don't give me that bullshit about no models or protecting IP. There are more HQ units in the index that didn't make it into the codex...why is that? Why is there a Herald of Slaanesh on a steed in the index but not in the codex? Why the fuck is it still called a Herald of Slaanesh?!? The other 3 gods got cool new names for their Heralds. Changecaster, Skullmaster, Poxbringer... Herald of Slaanesh.
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| One of these things is not like the others. |
I already got started with the KoS, mentioned the Herald, who is only there to make the rest of the army that much more deadly, and now I will move onto daemonettes. They epitomize what the Slaaneshi army does best, loads and loads of dice thrown at the situation until it goes away. With 2A each, 3 when there are 20 or more models in the unit, they rack up the dice pretty quick. However, with only S3, they really need that Herald nearby for the +1S, but they have a straight up -1AP, and -4AP on a wound roll of 6+. Seekers are the same, but faster, and can re-roll charge rolls. The Fiends, now here is a unit to fear for one simple reason called Soporific Musk. This does not allow units within 1" to fall back unless they can fly. Everything else can be glazed over, and in fact, here comes some glazing, 150 points worth of it. With some easy buffs of course, lets have a Herald and a prince next to them and the enemy unit has Symphony of Pain for a little defence.
Damage VS MEQs: Daemonettes(16), Seekers(5), Fiends(4)
Damage VS Guardsmen: Daemonettes(29), Seekers(11), Fiends(4)
Damage VS Rhino: Daemonettes(12), Fiends(5), Seekers(3)
Durability(number of bolters to kill unit): Daemonettes(95), Seekers(63), Fiends(54)
Durability(number of lascannons to kill unit): Daemonettes(74), Seekers(24), Fiends(11)
Speed: Seekers, Fiends, Daemonettes
Now I know it looks bad for the Fiends, they don't hit first in any of the categories and they don't excel at killing infantry or monsters. They are better a taking out those buffing characters that are becoming more and more crucial as the game grows. We saw how deadly Plaguebearers can become with a Scrivener next to them, with a Fiends speed and multi-wound attacks he poses quite a threat to them. I don't have a section on the comparison list for characters, I figured 6 areas would be enough.
However, with that set of data, we are not done with Slaanesh because we have yet to cover some of the craziest units yet, the chariots. Not only do they look somewhat ridiculous and awesome at the same time, they can do some serious damage.
Starting with the Hellflayer we see a decent stat line, 12", WS/BS 3+, S4, T5, 6W, 5A, and a 4+SV. The save is fairly important making the chariots one of the more durable Slaaneshi units. For 95 points though, it doesn't seem to be enough of anything...until we get to it's attacks. It 5A are made with the typical Slaaneshi claws, -1AP and -4 on a wound roll of 6, but it also has an assault d6, S4, 6" ranged attack that can be made while within 1" of enemy units and at unit within 1" of friendly units. I want to interrupt for a second to mention that this is different that a pistol in that a pistol can only fire at enemy unit that are within 1" of friendlies if the bearer is also within 1" of an enemy unit. Take a look at the wording closely and you will see what I mean. The lashes of torment however, can fire into combat as the chariot drives by and then charge into something else. We are not done with it's attacks though, as it also has d6 attacks made by the bladed axle that are Sx2, -1AP, and 2D, finally the steeds can attack with their 4 S4 attacks. All tallied up it can make between 10 and 15 S4 attacks and 1-6 S8 attacks. While its only killing 3 marines, it's taking out 7 Guardsmen, which is not too bad for a single model of 100 points.
Next up we have the Seeker Chariot, and the main difference is the replacing of the bladed axle with scything impact which deals a mortal wound on a 6 for each enemy model within 1" when it finishes a charge move. That equates to a 30 Point drop though, so not too bad for 70 points.
The last chariot is the Exalted Seeker Chariot, which is a bigger, fancier version of the Seeker Chariot that degrades as it takes damage. It starts with a 2+WS though, and 8A with an additional 8A from the steeds and the d6 shooting from the lashes and still has the same mortal wounds from the scything impact.
Let’s run some numbers just on the chariots, 200 points, at full health, with no buffs. Just as they are. I will assume that each of the Seeker chariots are able to inflict a single mortal wound on the charge, just for the sake of this comparison and keeping fractions out of it.
Damage VS MEQs: Exalted Seeker(11), Seeker(10), Hellflayer(6)
Damage VS Guardsmen: Exalted Seeker(21), Seeker(19), Hellflayer(14)
Damage VS Rhinos: Exalted Seeker(9), Hellflayer(8), Seeker(6)
Durability(bolter shots to kill all): Exalted Seeker(216), Seeker(162), Hellflayer(108)
Damage VS MEQs: Exalted Seeker(11), Seeker(10), Hellflayer(6)
Damage VS Guardsmen: Exalted Seeker(21), Seeker(19), Hellflayer(14)
Damage VS Rhinos: Exalted Seeker(9), Hellflayer(8), Seeker(6)
Durability(bolter shots to kill all): Exalted Seeker(216), Seeker(162), Hellflayer(108)
Durability(lascannons to kill all): Exalted Seeker(26), Seeker(20), Helflayer(13)
Speed: All the same at full health. The Exalted does get slower as it loses wounds.
Those are not some terrible number to tell you the truth. It takes 108 bolter shots to take out one, 100pt Exalted Chariot, all the while it's gearing up to kill 5 marines a fight.
Speed: All the same at full health. The Exalted does get slower as it loses wounds.
Those are not some terrible number to tell you the truth. It takes 108 bolter shots to take out one, 100pt Exalted Chariot, all the while it's gearing up to kill 5 marines a fight.
Having gone through the units I feel like I’ve done a pretty good job covering most of the notable stratagems, relics, and powers, but there are a couple honourable mentions I need to make. I’m sure you all know about Denizens of the Warp that lets you deep strike a unit of Daemons, or the Armour of Scorn that gives a Khorne character a 4++ and can deny the witch once, or Miasma of Pestilence that can make a big Plaguebearers unit really hard to deal with, but there are a few things you may need to look a little harder to see, some secret treasures, so to speak.
First up are the couple summoning centric stratagems, I have not gone too far into summoning as I feel that it really needs a post of its own, which I will get to soon.
First up are the couple summoning centric stratagems, I have not gone too far into summoning as I feel that it really needs a post of its own, which I will get to soon.
How about the Rapturous Standard? Like the others you make one standard in a Slaaneshi unit a special one for 1CP before the game starts and once per game you can use it to re-roll all failed hit rolls made by that unit. I mentioned how Slaanesh liketo throw buckets of dice, how about re-rolling buckets of dice? Acidic Ichor is perfect for your GUO, for each wound you lose roll a d6 and on a 4+ you deal a mortal wound to the unit that wounded it. Since he has both a stratagem and a psychic power to regenerate wounds, this one seems like the gift that keeps on giving. Finally, my favourite, the Forbidden Gem relic. Once per game, at the start of any enemy turn, pick an enemy character within 12" and roll 3d6, if the total is higher than the targets Ld that character can't do anything. No moving, attacks, casting powers, fighting in the fight phase...NOTHING. It can't even use any of it's abilities that are on it's datasheet that affect other units like aura abilities and abilities that heal other models. Now there are ways of lowing the opponent Ld, one of which is a Slaanesh power that goes right along side the Forbidden Gem, Phantasmagoria. Chaos Spawn also dole out a -1Ld penalty when within 1" of one.
I want to give GW some serious props on this codex. Each of the factions has a place and excels at it's own particular area, but no single faction can take care of everything on it's own, although some are stronger than others yet I don't get the feeling that any of them are overpowered. Stay tuned for some more on Chaos Daemons and summoning.
Until next time, keep them dice rollin.
Maxx Collectibles has asked me to tell you about an upcoming hobby show, Legions Maxximus. I mentioned it in my last post, but since then the full list of events has been released and I can give you a better idea as to what you might expect. You like to paint? Do you not know if you like to paint or not? Check out one of the many Paint and Takes run by the MMSS, IPMS, and MB Battletech Coalition happening all weekend. They will supply you with a model and all the supplies you might need and all the helpful hits you can possibly cram into a couple hours of painting. When you're done you walk away with a new model. All models and paints are being supplied by Games Workshop North America.
Want to try out some games you've never played before? There are dozens of games, some of which I have never heard of, that will supply all the models and rules and teach you how to play the game. These are not necessarily tutorials, but a way for you to drop into the middle of a game and get a crash course feel for it before moving on to something else. They call it AMP'ed, all models provided. Games like Fist Full of Lead, Battletech, Warhammer 40k and Age of Sigmar, Infinity, Zombicide, Star Wars Armada and X-Wing, Flames of War.
There will be games ran in which you will actually have to know what you are doing before you show up. Warhammer 40k, Bolt Action, Malifaux, and more.
For a full list of games and events go here. http://legionsmaxximus.com/activities/
Here is a picture dump of last years event.
I want to give GW some serious props on this codex. Each of the factions has a place and excels at it's own particular area, but no single faction can take care of everything on it's own, although some are stronger than others yet I don't get the feeling that any of them are overpowered. Stay tuned for some more on Chaos Daemons and summoning.
Until next time, keep them dice rollin.
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| Sponsor Time |
Want to try out some games you've never played before? There are dozens of games, some of which I have never heard of, that will supply all the models and rules and teach you how to play the game. These are not necessarily tutorials, but a way for you to drop into the middle of a game and get a crash course feel for it before moving on to something else. They call it AMP'ed, all models provided. Games like Fist Full of Lead, Battletech, Warhammer 40k and Age of Sigmar, Infinity, Zombicide, Star Wars Armada and X-Wing, Flames of War.
There will be games ran in which you will actually have to know what you are doing before you show up. Warhammer 40k, Bolt Action, Malifaux, and more.
For a full list of games and events go here. http://legionsmaxximus.com/activities/
Here is a picture dump of last years event.
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