The Ironjawz sport high damage and some limited movement shenanigans in their faction pack. These Gorky Orruks are here for a proper scrap, and they have the tools to bring it. They have access to some solid offensive buffs that send their damage even higher, but are quite vulnerable to debuffs as most of the damaging units are going to be hitting on 4+s. .
Battle Traits
Getting to use Mighty Destroyers to move in any hero phase (into combat if we so choose) allows us to be quite tricky with positioning. Locking down enemy cavalry that need their charge bonuses is a big boost to our defenses. The WAAAGH is the classic Orruky pedal to the metal big red button that can help crack through defensive buffs and debuffs once per game.
Battle Formations
The pigs getting bonus movement from ‘Ere we Come! feels a bit like a hat on a hat, given how fast the pigs already are. They would probably benefit from this as much as the others. The cascading +1 to hit for destroying units in Smashin’ and Bashin’ is really nice, particularly with how precious command points are. A good number of our units sport the durability to take a hit and fight back once they’ve received that benefit. If you’re a gambler, getting +1 attacks on an 8+ charge makes Ironjawz Brawl an absolute thrill ride. It is unmodified though, so no help from the WAAAGH makes this a bit unreliable, albeit very fun. Hordes of Brutes and Ardboys with 3+ saves getting 6+ wards in Weirdfist is a small boost in durability, but your Warchanters and Weirdnobs will have to stay quite close by to keep it up. This feels like a stand on circles formation rather than a run forward and smash one.
Brutal Warlords Heroic Traits
Getting impact hits from Hulking Brute is pretty underwhelming. A +1 to charge aura from Mega Bossy is quite nice, assuming you’re fielding the likes of a Megaboss who wants to be doing the charging. That aura coming off of the Maw-Krusha base will cover quite a bit of ground. The real winner feels like An’ Eye for da Fight. Consistent 4s on redeploys mean so much for denying tactics, denying charges, stealing objectives, and so on. That reliability is a valuable tool.
Da Boss’s Hoard Artefacts of Power
+10 Control score from Trophy of Skulls is really amusing and will help a more elite Ironjawz army steal points off of swarms. The 6+ ward from Armour of Gork is a bit underwhelming, but a Maw-Krusha with 18 health on a 3+6++ definitely has a place. The Amberbone Whetstone for a bit of extra rend for a Megaboss feels alright, as the poor boys are sitting at a pillowfisted rend 1 base.
Spell Lore
The spells are all cast on 6s and 7s, making them quite doable with our lack of bonuses. Bash ‘em Ladz as our unlimited spell for Crit (2 Hits) makes our volume of attacks even MORE volume, which I do love. Pair it with +1 damage and you’re off to the races. Mighty Headbutt isn’t winning any awards, but if you ever find yourself needing to kill 1 or 2 health worth of stuff that is tying you up, it will be there for you. Da Great Big Green Hand of Gork is here to whisk us away relatively reliably. The new redeploy has made teleport charges a bit more difficult, so just teleport such that you have more than 1 option for aggression and you will be a-okay.
Prayer Lore
The Warchanter beats all happen on a prayer of 4+ with a bonus on an 8+. The Killabeat is our ever sought after +1 damage, affecting 2 units with the bonus. It does, however, only last until the end of the turn, so we will have to be quite deliberate with its use (a cheeky magical intervention perhaps). The Fixin’ Beat is a D6 heal, D3+3 with the bonus. It’s not bad for keeping our heroes topped off. The Get ‘Em Beat is +1 to charge, with an extra charge die on the bonus. This one feels like it’s asking to be saved up for.
Heroes
The Big Boy himself, Gordrakk, is unfortunately lacking in some areas. Rend 1 across the board hurts. He gets Anti-Hero (+1 Rend) and Anti-Monster (+1 Rend), so he CAN get to rend 2, but he needs to be fighting very specific targets. He has a rampage to neuter enemy monsters, which is ok. He gives out an aura of +1 to hit on the WAAAGH, which is quite good. And as Megabosses do, he ramps with bonus attacks for helping destroy units. He has very specific use cases which simply aren’t available in every matchup.
The generic Megaboss on Maw-Krusha faces a similar deficit in being rend 1 across the board, but his Anti (+1 Rend) rule is infantry! He has impact hits, which double against infantry and the ability to pile 2d6. I can picture the Maw-Krusha dancing around screens, squishing them, beating up infantry hammers, and powering through to safety.
The Megaboss on Foot is quite expensive, and with the single pip of rend he is not doing a ton of damage on his own. What he does do is give Brutes +1 attacks until the start of your next turn, as well as an additional +1 attacks in the combat phase. The Brutes, Wrekkaz, and Ragerz will be feasting.
The Warchanter is our only priest (power level 1) and he can generate ritual points by slaying enemy models in combat. Nothing flashy about this warscroll. The Weirdnob is similar. He is our only wizard (power level 1) and gets +1 power level if he is near a 10+ model Ironjawz unit. They are simple support heroes propped up by our lore. The extra power level is nice, but that will require you to run at least some big units.
Zoggrok Anvilsmasha is going to hand out Crit (Mortal) to a unit. With as many attacks as we have, that is really strong. He does it on a 4+, 3+ with the tongs weapon option, rerolling if his token is alive. He only loses the token if he makes a save roll of 1, so just hide him in some obscuring and smash that anvil. His other weapon option lets him smash enemy wards in combat, but I think we know what his role is.
The Ardboy Big Boss will add 1 to Ardboy Shield bashes and allow them to roll 3 additional rally dice. Bricks of Ardboys will greatly love his support.
The Tuskboss gives out extra momentum to your other Maw-Gruntas. As that momentum adds up they will hit like absolute trucks, but as with most of our profiles it all hits on 4+s. Very vulnerable to debuffs to hit, unfortunately.
Units
If damage is your aim, then Brutes are your game. They are absolute blenders. Little idiots still cannot contest objectives against them and they sport a tasty 3+ save. The Wrekkaz (Anti-Infantry +1 Rend) are your infantry squishers that can run and charge. Alternatively, the Ragerz (Anti-Monster +1 Rend) are your big boy hunters. They also get run and charge with strikes-first on the charge, making them great candidates for counter charge. All these folks having the Brute keyword makes them love love love a friendly megaboss.
The Ardboys are the big units you can field, with Anti-Charge (=1 Rend) and the shield bashes for some cheeky mortal damage. Another great target for the counter charge. Their volume of attacks also make them a good target for Zoggrok’s mortal damage.
The Gore-Gruntas are Anti-Cavalry (+1 Rend), a bit of a rare rule that cements them firmly as an Anti-Cav silver bullet. Their impact hits also do bonus damage against Cav. They sit pretty at a 3+ save, making them a very interesting piece.
The Maw-Gruntawith Hakkin’ Krew gets a very cool movement rampage that allows it to move out of combat, through models, inflicting damage and gaining momentum on the way and allowing it to charge elsewhere. The Gougers go up to a 4+ save as opposed to his big brothers’ 3+s. What he does get is a Strike Last rampage that becomes more reliable with more momentum. Combat order manipulation is at an absolute premium so this is valuable.
Final Thoughts
The Ironjawz sport big damage, mobility tools, and good durability. Some problems in the current landscape include the plentiful debuffs to hit and Anti-Infantry Rend rules. Those 3+ saves don’t mean what they used to when everyone and their mother can access Anti-Infantry Rend. That being said, the damage potential is high enough to raise an eyebrow. With Counter Charge and Mighty Destroyers, you are going to have to really consider your positioning against this army.
The forces of Order aim to bring peace to the Mortal Realms by stamping out evil. Forces of Stormcast Eternals, known as Stormhosts, would travel across the Realms liberating the pathways between realms known as Realmgates. Cities were then strategically erected around these places of power at the behest of the God-King Sigmar himself. Populated by the Humans, Duardin, and Aelves, these Free Cities came to be known as the Cities of Sigmar. Bastions of Order, these Cities serve as the garrison to crusades launched all across the Mortal Realms.
Playstyle
The Cities of Sigmar Battletome boasts a strong variety in play styles that include high durability, strong mobility, long range shooting, powerful magics, and formidable melee. What you will enjoy about Cities is being able to have your cake and eat it too. The wide variety inherently within the warscrolls and allegiance abilities will allow you to mix and match all of these archetypes to your heart’s content. Whether you aim to castle up and charge forward the Cities of Sigmar (CoS) will enable you to achieve that and more.
Allegiance Abilities
The delicious bread and butter for CoS lies in their Orders. Orders are special abilities your CoS HEROES can utilize. At the start of the battle round, you give each of your heroes an order, face down such that your opponent does not know what they are. You can then trigger them throughout the battle round at the appropriate times. This “trap card” style ability allows the CoS player immense flexibility on a turn by turn basis. You can’t have more than 3 of the same order out at the same time, and a unit cannot be affected more than once by the same order in the same phase. At the end of the battle round, you discard any that are not revealed and start anew.
The first two orders can be given to any CoS HERO. Advance in Formation is revealed at the start of the movement phase. Any unit that starts a normal move within 3” of this HERO gets to add 3” to their move characteristic. This means you get the opportunity to move the hero in range of a different unit that wants to receive the bonus. Castelite units with the Fortified Position ability can use said ability even if they made a normal move as long as they end within 3” of this HERO. We will get into what all that means when we discuss the warscrolls. Counter-Charge is revealed at the end of the enemy charge phase. You pick a unit that is not in combat and within 3” of this HERO. That unit can attempt a charge, and if they make it their rend is improved by one until the end of the turn. Anything that allows you to act in your opponent’s turn is very powerful, a Counter Charge being amongst the best of them. Your opponent can carefully position all they want and you can surprise them with one more unit that they did not intend on fighting.
The next three orders can only be given to your HUMAN CoS HEROES. Return Fire is revealed when a friendly unit within 3” of the HERO is targeted by a shooting attack. After that attack, a HUMAN CoS unit within 3” of that HERO that is not in combat can make a shooting attack. Any enemy archers will have to think twice about who they shoot! Suppressing Fire is revealed at the start of your shooting phase. Pick one HUMAN CoS unit within 3” of this HERO. If that unit shoots and puts all its attacks into one target, roll two dice against that unit’s bravery adding the number of models slain by that attack. If the roll exceeds the target’s bravery, that unit is suppressed until the end of the turn (meaning it has strikes last). Soften up a target with some missiles before charging in and you may be able to give it strikes last in addition! Engage the Foe is revealed at the start of your charge phase. Pick a CoS HUMAN within 3” of the HERO, not in combat, and has not fought yet in the battle. If that unit makes a charge move, they will get +1 attacks until the end of that combat phase. This will make your melee threats even more threatening on that initial impact.
The next two orders can only be given to your DUARDIN CoS HEROES. Form Shieldwall is revealed at the start of the enemy combat phase. It allows you to pick a CoS DUARDIN unit with 5 or more models within 3” of this hero to get a 5+ ward and strike last. A surprise jump in durability that can catch an opponent off guard. Grim Last Stand is revealed at the start of your combat phase. It allows you to pick a CoS DUARDIN unit models within 3” of this hero and gives them an explode on death. The explosion is 3” range measured from the unit and causes 1 mortal wound on a 5+ per slain model. This one leaves a lot to be desired as it does not seem to stack up to anything that we have seen so far.
The next two orders can only be given to your AELF CoS HEROES. Strike Them Down is revealed at the start of the charge phase. One CoS AELF unit within 3” of the hero will get strike first if they charge this turn. This combos very well with Counter-Charge. A unit can benefit from more than one order in the same phase assuming it is not the same order. Swift Disengage is revealed at the end of the combat phase.One CoS AELF unit within 3” of this hero can immediately make a retreat move. This is a very nice piece of out of phase mobility, and we love abilities that let you do things out of phase.
Subfaction Traits Summary
There are a whopping 11 Free Cities to choose from as your subfaction! You may find some to be more impactful than others, however each will definitely provide a niche that you may find enjoyable! A number of these will specifically lay out how allies can interact with them. As a reminder, allies will not get the subfaction keyword nor are they CoS which means they cannot have or receive orders.
Hammerhal Aqsha lets one of your Aqsha HEROES have two different orders instead of just one order. You also get an extra CP at the start of your hero phase if you have an allied Aventis Firestrike on the battlefield. This is going to be outclassed by some of the other cities as getting a single additional order or CP per round does not a subfaction make.
The Living City enables you to deepstrike up to half of your Living City or Sylvaneth units during deployment. One or more of them are set up wholly within 6” of the board edge and more than 9” away from enemies at the end of your movement phase. If deepstrike excites you and you would like to bring along your Sylvaneth toys, go nuts!
Vindicarum units are able to rally while within 3” of enemies, and your Vindicarum Flagellants can rally on a 5+. This one is not particularly flashy as no other unit will have an improved rally. Large blobs of Flagellants with defensive buffs tarring up the board and exploding on death while rallying back certainly is a choice you can make. However, they are so fragile that they may not survive to see the rally. And with the 10 wound cap on rally, it might be that much more difficult to pull off.
Tempest’s Eye units, Kharadron Overlords skyvessels allies, and the units embarked in said vessels are able to retreat and shoot. This is an alright touch of mobility, and could be exciting for the flying duardin enjoyers that want to bring their lads into Cities!
Greywater Fastness allows you to issue All-out Attack in the shooting phase to three Greywater Fastness units. The first two times you issue it, it does not cost a CP. If you’re a fan of tanks or lads with firearms, this could improve your output in the shooting phase.
Excelsis gives all your Excelsis monsters an additional wound. It also gives your Freeguild Cavaliers the ability to do some mortal wounds in the combat phase. After they fight, pick any enemy within 3” and roll a die for each model in the Cav unit. Each 4+ will deal a mortal. There are some formidable monsters in the book, so if you wish to beef them up and then sprint around with the very fast Cavalry, this may be the option for you!
Hallowheart stands out as the magical subfaction, allowing your Hallowheart wizards to cast on 3d6 rather than 2d6. If the unmodified casting roll was 10+, they take D3 mortal wounds after resolving the spell. We will review the spell lore shortly but getting the chance to 3d6 cast your critical spells at the cost of maybe D3 mortal wounds is the deal of a lifetime.
Lethis stands out as the premier PRIEST subaction. Your HUMAN Lethis non-WIZARD HEROES become PRIESTS and gain access to the Lethis specific prayer Morrda’s Embrace which is a 4+ 12” range ward turn off (your Stormcast PRIEST allies will also get this). The range is a bit short, but a ward turn off is a phenomenal tool to have in addition to the generic and Cities specific prayer scriptures.
Settler’s Gain WIZARDS get +1 to cast and your general will generate an additional CP if they are within 3” of a Lumineth Realm-Lord ally. This is another magic subfaction and while it feels less flashy than Hallowheart, it offers some nice consistency.
Hammerhall Ghyra allows you to bring 1 additional reinforced CoS unit than normal and make all of your HUMAN units bravery 10 while they have 10 or more models. This one seems like a miss. There are tools that will allow you to deal with battleshock so this just doesn’t seem necessary.
Misthavn lets you pick 3 Misthavn units at the end of the hero phase that are outside 12” of enemies. Those units move D6”, or 2d6” if they are mounted. This move can end within 3” of enemies. This is a really nice touch of mobility and will give your already speedy cavalry even more room to move. Being able to end within combat has so many implications including shutting off unleash, redeploy, counter-charges, certain commands, and so on!
Spells and Prayers
There are two spell lores in the CoS tome, one for HUMANS and one for AELVES. The Lore of Collegiate Arcane for HUMANS has a whopping 8 spells. Fireball (CV6 range 18”) is a hordebreaker (roll a number of dice equal to the number of models in the unit and do mortals on x) on 6s. This one is not winning any awards. Mystifying Miasma (CV5 range 18”) is a single target debuff for no running and -2 to charge. This could help slow down some folks that rely on run and charge and the range is really nice. Pall of Doom (CV7 range 18”) is a single target debuff to shut off commands. Some units rely more heavily on commands than others. When they DO rely on it, woof does it hurt to take that away. Pha’s Protection (CV7 range 18”) is a single target HUMAN buff to ignore all modifiers to save rolls. Giving a high base save unit an ethereal save could prove quite useful. Rain of Jade (CV7 range 12”) is a single HUMAN model heal, rolling a dice for each wound allocated and healing it on a 5+. This is only for models, not units. Not sure if you are casting this over the other options but could be ok to heal up a durable monster that is heavily injured. Transmutation of Lead (CV7 range 12”) is a hordebreaker on dice value that exceeds the target’s save characteristic. Shutter in fear bricks of ok save models! Twin-tailed Comet (CV7 range 18”) lets you pick an enemy unit and draw a line to one model in that unit. Any HUMANS that the line touches get bravery 10 for the turn and then that unit suffers D3 mortal wounds. This one is really really niche. Wildform (CV7 range 12”) is a single target HUMAN buff for a 3d6 charge. Yes, I would absolutely take more mobility thank you very much. The Lore of Dark Sorcery will give your AELVES a less whopping 3 spells to choose from. Sap Strength (CV6 range 18”) is a single target debuff for -1 to wound. Bonuses to wound don’t come sound too often so this one can hurt. Umbral Hex (CV6 range 12”) is a single target debuff to roll 2d6 instead of 1d6 for battleshock tests. Pair this with Pall of Doom and the battleshock phase will be terrifying. Tenebrael Blades (CV7 range 9”) is a single target AELF buff. Any enemy that this AELF unit targets in melee will be treated as having a save characteristic of “-” which means 7+.
Amongst these two spell lores, there are a number of interesting tools you can utilize to buff yourself or debuff your opponent. With all the casting bonuses you may have access to based on the subfaction you choose, this is a toolbox that you can have at the ready.
Rune Lore is the prayer scripture with 3 prayers your DUARDIN will have access to. Rune of Unfaltering Aim (CV3 range 12”) is a single target DUARDIN buff with that will give +1 to hit with missile weapons. Copters and Bombers rejoice? Rune of Oath and Steel (CV3 range 12”) is a single target DUARDIN buff that will give enemies -1 to wound in melee against that unit. Yet another durability buff for blocks of DUARDIN. Rune of Wrath and Ruin (CV3 range 18”) is a single target damage prayer. On 6 dice, each 5+ is a mortal wound. On 3 or more mortals, that target cannot benefit from bonuses to save. Two consistent buffs and an inconsistent debuff.
Command Traits and Artefacts
YourHUMAN generals will have access to four command traits from Sentinels of Order. Diving Champion will make your general a PRIEST and give them access to the prayer Hammer of Sigmar (CV4 range 12”). The prayer is a +1 to wound AoE buff centered on the chanter. +1 to wound is nothing to sneeze at, but you’re still asking for a 4+ without rerolls. Grizzled Veteran is only for your FREEGUILD generals and it makes it so attacks can only wound successfully on unmodified rolls of 4+. This is a significant bump in durability. Master of Ballistics will improve your general’s All-out-Attack, giving +1 to wound in addition to +1 to hit when issued to a CASTELITE unit. If you want to go all in on Fusiliers or Steelhelms, this could be a good consideration. Fiery Temper allows this general to reroll charges. If this general makes a charge move, all other CoS units wholly within 18” also get to reroll their charges. If you live by the ABCs (Always Be Charging) this is a fun command trait for you.
Your HUMAN HEROES have access to 6 artefacts of power from Treasures of the Cities. Brazier of Holy Flame lets you roll a dice each time a HUMAN model flees from battleshock while wholly within 12” of the bearer. On a 4+, that model does not flee. Could potentially mess up coherency if you are not careful, but between this and all the potential bravery buffs I do not foresee HUMAN bricks running to bravery. Mastro Vivetti’s Magnificent Macroscope (great name) gives +3” to the range of missile weapons used by HUMANS wholly within 12” of the bearer. Steam Tanks and Fusiliers shooting from even father is going to be tough to handle! Shemtek’s Grimoire is a once per battle debuff to enemy wizards. You use this at the start of the enemy hero phase to give their wizards -D3 to cast for that phase. This is very niche, but if you want to go high drops for extra artefacts this is an interesting inclusion to make your army more magically dominant. Sigmarite Warhammer will just give one of the bearers weapons an extra pip of rend and damage. If you like a smashy Griffon, this is your golden ticket. Flask of Lethisian Darkwater is a once per battle D6 heal at the end of any phase. Once per battle abilities need to be REALLY good to keep up with the other options you have access to. D6 is just too inconsistent. Glimmering is a once per phase reroll for a hit, wound, or save roll for the bearer. Not sure why one would take this over some of the other options.
Your DUARDIN generals will have 3 command traits to choose from Lords of the Mountains. Of Mighty Lineage allows your general to pick an enemy HERO within 3” at the start of the combat phase, giving your general strikes first if they target the enemy HERO with all their attacks. Not sure if Mighty Lineage is going to earn much Mighty Mileage. Insurmountable Resilience allows you to roll a die for each wound allocated to this general at the end of the combat phase, healing the wound with each 3+. The beefiest DUARDIN HERO is 6 wounds on a 3+ save in the Warden King. I am not seeing how you can reliably take advantage of this. Master of Ancient Lore makes your general a PRIEST, and gives them an extra prayer from the scripture if they are already a priest. The scripture is not particularly inspiring. A common theme you may be noticing is that the DUARDIN are looking like they got the short end of the stick, pun intended.
Your DUARDIN HEROES can pick from 3 artefacts of power from Ancestor relics. Book of Grudges lets the bearer pick an enemy unit while out of combat. On a 4+, DUARDIN get +1 to hit that enemy unit until a different one is picked. The coinflip requirement hurts. Piledriver Gauntlets (best name yet?) allows the bearer to roll a dice for each enemy unit within 3” at the start of the combat phase. Each 4+ will give them strikes last. The bearer must forgo their chance to fight in order to do this. More coin flips, more feels bad.Heavy Metal Ingot allows the user to ignore negative modifiers to their save rolls as long as they have not made a move in the same turn. That 6 wound 3+ save Warden King may be a bit tougher to kill with this, but it is only 6 wounds after all.
Your AELF generals will have access to 3 command traits from Dreaded Leaders. Unparalleled Duelist will deal 1 mortal wound to an enemy for every hit roll that targets the general and does not produce a hit. Most of the AELF HEROES are not particularly tanky, so this may not be as good as it looks on paper. Secretive Warlock will give a wizard general +1 to cast and unbind. Simple, not flashy, but consistent and can combo with your subfaction. Although, your AELF WIZARDS are only single casters. Draconic Blood-pact is specifically for your AELF HEROES that are riding a Black Dragon. The general can take 1 mortal wound to give the Black Dragon mount attacks +1 attacks. This is alright if you like The Dragons themselves hit on 4+s base. I am not sure an AELF general’s role is to be fighting on the front lines. They have warscroll abilities that may better suit them elsewhere, which we will cover later. Your AELF HEROES will be able to choose from 3 artefacts of power from Exotic Armaments. Shadowshroud Ring will once per battle allow the bearer to become invisible to enemies outside of 12” until the start of your next hero phase. This may prevent them from being sniped if they didn’t already benefit from Look Out Sir! Venomfang Blade will make one of the bearer’s weapons deal an additional D3 mortal wounds on 6s to wound. Again, not sure your AELF HEROES are sprinting to the front lines to use this. Anklet of Epiphany will add 6” to the range of their spells while they are wholly on a terrain feature or contesting an objective. This one definitely has a use!
Warscrolls
HUMANS HEROES
The Alchemite Warforger is a single cast WIZARD that can choose at the start of the hero phase between +1 to cast or forgoing their spell for +1 to save for all HUMANS wholly within 12”. Their warscroll spell Blazing Weapons (CV7 12”) will give all HUMANS wholly within range 1 mortal in addition on 6’s to hit in melee. This one wizard packs both utility and a pretty banger warscroll spell. If you manage to get this off, your damage will skyrocket.
The Battlemage has a couple of loadouts to choose from. Those options are 2 extra weapon attacks (haha no GW I don’t think so), a 5+ ward, a once per battle casting of an additional spell at the cost of 1 wound, a once per battle 2+ D3 mortals wounds at 12”, 6” extra to the range of its spells, +1 to cast, or +1 to unbind. While these rules are neat in theory, the last 3 seem like the only options you would ever realistically choose for this single caster. And even then, it is probably the range.
Pontifex Zenestra, Matriarch of the Great Wheel, premier priest and utility piece for the Cities of Sigmar. They get a dispel and a +1 unbind, a 4+ ward, and a 2+ D3 mortal wounds ability within 3” after it fights and at the start of the combat phase. Their warscroll prayer Vessel of Sigmar (CV 3) allows you to pick 1 of three effects: a 5+ ward for all HUMANS wholly within 18”, +2” to the move characteristic of all friendly HUMANS on the field, or 2+ D3 mortal wounds to every enemy WIZARD and PRIEST on the field. If Zenestra is wholly outside of your territory when they chant this, they get to pick 2 effects. In a HUMAN focused army, Zenestra is an absolute banger pick providing you some immense options to flex between.
The Freeguild Marshal and Relic Envoy is a cheap order carrier that can once per battle make some of your HUMANS count as two models on objectives. He can make a HUMAN unit receive a free command once per turn and gets a 4+ ward next to the Freeguild Command Corp he deems his retinue. He is quite tanky for a little foot hero and has some utility behind him. Bringing along a cheap and safe hero for orders and investing more points into your units is quite feasible.
The Freeguild Cavalier-Marshal is nothing to write home about. It can give your Cavaliers +3 to charge when it uses Their Finest Hour and can make your Cavaliers fight immediately after it does. Your Cavaliers are already quite mobile so this may be putting a hat on a hat.
The Fusil-Major on Ogor Warhulk feels like a bit of a miss. It can increase the range of your Fusiliers’ missile weapons by D6, but with the movement order their effective threat range is already quite high. It can do some damage and has a rule to unreliably kill some models in a target. Your points may be better spent elsewhere.
Galen and Doralia ven Denst are interesting inclusions. You get two heroes for the price of one leader slot, meaning you get to carry around more orders. You are bound to run into wizards or daemons in most matchups, and they can be quite nasty with those targets as they get double damage against them. They have the added utility of being able to shoot down endless spells, which is nice. They do not have many wounds, so their 5+ ward can only keep them around for so long.
Haskal Hexbane and Hexbane Hunters can do a respectable amount of damage against the HERO that they target to hunt. Haskal is an additional HUMAN that can carry orders for your HUMAN focused army. That is about the extent of this package’s usefulness.
The Freeguild General on Griffon is quite the competent fighter and equipping it with the right enhancements can make it both killy AND hard to kill. 14” fly will have this unit screaming across the battlefield. Once per battle it can be given two orders rather than one, which is nice. And this monster can Monstrous Rampage Roar two units rather than one, which is very good.
The Battlemage on Griffon is equally fast, has exploding hits on the damage 3 beaks, and bonus damage against monsters which makes this unit somewhat formidable in combat. They are locked into Wildform if they take a spell from the lore, but that is one of the best ones so I am not bothered by this. The warscroll spell (CV7 18”) is a straight line of 2+ D3 mortals which is alright, but the unit has plenty of other things it is good at.
Battlemage on Celestial Hurricanum is a single caster. If they choose a lore spell it must be Twin-tailed Comet. In your hero phase you can pick 1 enemy unit within 18” and roll a number of dice equal to the current battleround. Every 2+ is going to be D3 mortal wounds. The Hurricanum is going to give your HUMAN units +1 to hit while wholly within 9” of it.Their warscroll spell Chain Lightning (CV6 range 18”) lets you pick one unit in range to suffer D3 mortal wounds. Then, every enemy within 6” of the target will suffer D3 mortal wounds on a 4+. Essentially, the Hurricanum is just going to spray mortal wounds around the table at a confident range. The unmounted Hurricanum is exactly the same without the warscroll spell for a small discount.
Battlemage on Luminark of Hysh is a singler caster as well. If they choose a lore spell it must be Pha’s Protection. They have a 30” range shooting attack that will create a straight line and deal D3 mortal wounds to any unit it touches on a 2+. The Luminark is going to give your HUMAN units a 6+ ward while wholly within 9” of it. Their warscroll spell Burning Gaze (CV6 range 18”) will allow them to do D3 mortal wounds to a unit. The damage is doubled against a 10+ model unit or tripled against a 20+ model unit. The unmounted Luminark is also exactly the same without the warscroll spell for a small discount. You already get a ward from Pontifex Zenestra if you are focusing on HUMANS so I am wholly uncertain why one would take the Luminark over the Hurricanum.
Thalia Vedra is reasonably killy, has a 6+ ward, can hold 2 orders, has a fight last monstrous action against enemy monsters, and can issue rally to units in combat while she is also in combat. That rally works on 4+s. While niche, she absolutely has use cases and comes equipped with very neat rules that could provide you with nice tools.
Steam Tanks are good. The Steam Tank Commander is exactly the same as the Steam tanks except for a couple extra weapons and the very neat ability to double issue commands to Steam Tanks for the price of 1 CP. They are all 12 wounds on a 2+ save. If the Steam Tank Commander is your general, your Steam Tanks will be battleline. They have single shots at 24” and a multitude of shots at 12”. With 8” move and the movement order, these Tanks can absolutely pepper you with bullets at great effective ranges. They also have impact hits and damage 2 attacks in combat which is nothing to sneeze at. They also have a special rule that allows you to roll 2d6 in the hero phase. If you beat the number of wounds currently allocated to them, they can run and shoot/charge or they can get extra shots. If you want to run a giant killy wall of steel forward at your opponent, Steam Tanks are going to be formidable.
HUMANS UNITS
Steelhelms are your only HUMAN non-conditional battleline. They actually have some very cool rules. They can consecrate an objective they control that has no enemies. Your HUMANS will have a 6+ ward as long as they control it. And when they receive All-out-Attack or All-out-Defense, they can share it with another unit of Steelhelms. Their real purpose is to just fill battleline slots very cheaply and exist a screen with some durability in a 4+ save, which they do well!
Wildcorp Hunters can be taken as a battleline for each unit of Steelhelms that you have. They have a pregame move, which is always really good. They are invisible to enemies while in cover or more than 12” from them and get an extra rend to their missiles while near terrain. They have some shots at 18” range. Altogether, they are alright and can take advantage of all the synergy within HUMAN focused armies.
Freeguild Cavaliers are battleline if your general is Freeguild. They are a speedy 10” move with a formidable 3+ save. They get bonus rend and damage on the charge, which will make them the perfect starts for your cavalry focused builds.
Freeguild Fusiliers can be taken as a battleline for each unit of Steelhelms that you have. This unit can shoot at 24” if they are fortified or 12” if they are not. If they move, they are not fortified (unless they benefit from the movement order). While fortified, they ignore negative modifiers to their save from missile weapons. Once per battle, they can reroll their hit rolls. This unit can be menacing with a multitude of shots at a distant range, especially when paired with the artefact Mastro Vivetti’s Magnificent Macroscope and the command trait Master of Ballistics.
Flagellants are battleline if your army includes Pontifex Zenestra. They spit mortals when they die on a 5+ to an enemy unit within 3”. There are certainly builds that could have you running hoards of them, but it seems like it is outclassed by some of the stronger options you have access to.
The Iornweld great cannon has the same Fortify rules as the Fusiliers. While it can do some damage, I am wholly uncertain why you would ever take it over Fusiliers.
One of the highlights of the book, a gang of absolute stars, the Freeguild Command Corps. This warscroll is dense with absolutely stellar rules amongst its 6 models. The unit can be a retinue for a Freeguild General on foot which gives that general a 4+ ward. The Arch-Knight and Mascot Gargoylian together have 7 damage D3 attacks which is nothing to sneeze at. The Whisperblade has a damage D6 attack and a boardwide once-per-turn command deny on a 4+. The command still counts as being issued and the command point is still spent. It may only be a coinflip, but if you have ever needed to reroll a critical charge this is a very scary coinflip that has no range or triggers holding it back. The Great Herald makes this unit a totem. Any HUMANS wholly within 12” of this unit white it has the Great Herald gets +1 to run and charge as well as an additional D3 to retreat moves. The War Surgeon allows you to pick 3 HUMAN units wholly within 12” at the end of your hero phase. Those units heal D3 wounds, or return D3 wounds worth of models if no wounds are allocated. The Soul Shepherd allows you to roll a die each time a model flees from a HUMAN unit wholly within 12”. On a 4+ that model does not flee. In this single warscroll you have the means to interrupt opponent commands, heal your own units/return models, prevent battleshock, gain extra mobility, and do some damage. If you want to play with HUMANS, I think you will be hard pressed not to include at least one unit of Freeguild Command Corps.
DUARDIN
DUARDIN HEROES
The Cogsmith can issue commands to Gyrocopters and Gyrombombres anywhere on the battlefield. That’s it. The Runelord is your DUARDIN PRIEST, gets an unbind, and has the warscroll prayer Forgefire(CV4 range 18”) that can give a DUARDIN unit an extra rend in melee. The Warden King (if they are your general) can pick an enemy unit at the start of the battle and all your DUARDIN will automatically wound with melee weapons on hit rolls of 6. They can also make a DUARDIN unit fight immediately after they do. These are your 3 options for DUARDIN heroes. If you like spamming helicopters, the Cogsmith can help somewhat. The prayers offer some value, which the Runelord will enable you to access. And the Warden King can help take down a single tough target. These heroes’ use cases are not far and wide.
DUARDIN UNITS
Ironbreakers and Longbeards are going to be your non-conditional battlelines. Ironbreakers have a 3+ save and when they Form a Shieldwall they get a 4+ ward rather than the 5+. Longbeards can have a 4+ save for rend 2 attacks or a 3+ save for rend 1 attacks. They will also prevent nearby DUARDIN models from fleeing to battleshock on a 4+ for each model. Neither unit is going to be particularly hitty, nor are they particularly tanky with 1 wound a piece. That being said, the DUARDIN have access to a number of buffs and orders that could make these little lads more formidable. Hammerers are going to do just that. They may have a 4+ save, but they do have 2 attacks at 2 rend and 2 damage. They will also give a Warden King a 4+ ward, but I am not sure you want the Warden King near danger with how few wounds they have. Irondrakes will be your shorty DUARDIN with 1 attack a piece at 15” range (2 attacks if it did not move and is not in combat). This is, again, outclassed by some of your other options for missile weapons.
Gyrocopters and Gyrbombers each sport 3+ saves and 12” fly. The Copters will have a choice between long range damage D3 attacks or shorter range damage 1 attacks with more shots. The Bombers will have damage 2 attacks at 18” range as well as 2+ D3 mortals for any enemies it flies over. The damage on these units is nothing to write home about, but what they are is absolutely mobile. If you want to play fighter choppers in your fantasy wargame, you certainly can with these units.
AELVES
AELF HEROES
There are 3 main keywords that will separate the AELVES: Serpentis, Darkling Covens, and Scourge Privateers.
Black Dragons are the big monsters that your AELF HEROES can ride. The Dreadlord on Black Dragon (Serpentis) is 14 wounds on a 4+. Its damage is unimpressive, which is unfortunate because its warscroll would lead you to believe you want this thing to be a fighter. You can forgo some of its weapon options to have a shield that will make it always save on 6s regardless of modifiers. It gets bonus rend and damage on the charge with a lance, some horde killing with its breath, and gives reroll charges to all your Serpentis units (Drakespawns and War Hydra). With the mediocre damage and middling combat enhancements, this one feels like a bit of a miss.
The Sorceress on Black Dragon (Darkling Covens) is not much better, unfortunately. The 5+ save is quite tough to swallow. The damage is worse and it has a warscroll spell. Bladestorm (CV6 range 18”) lets you roll 9 dice against a target and do a mortal for each roll below their save characteristic. It is a chaff clearer which is fine? It can double issue to your AELF units (specifically only the Darkling Coven ones) and that is it. This too feels like a miss.
The Black Ark Fleetmaster (Scourge Privateers) is an interesting utility piece. When it issues All-out-Attack to your Scourge Privateers, they also get +1 to their attack characteristics. Attack rolls of 1 that target this unit in melee reflect 2 mortals back to the attacker, which is funny enough. The special command alone is a reason to consider bringing this in an AELF build that wants to focus on Corsairs.
The Sorceress (Darkling Covens) is going to be a very popular inclusion for an AELF hero. They can kill a Darkling Coven AELF model to get +2 to casting. It may only be a single caster, but it is a cheap one. Its warscroll spell Word of Pain (CV7 range 18”) will deal D3 mortals and give -1 to hit to the target. A good bit of utility packed into a small package, but the real bang for buck comes with how the Sorceress interacts with Black Guard.
A serious miss comes in the form of the Assassin. It can do mortals on 6s, be invisible near AELVES (to units outside of 12”), and gets strike first on the charge. It is 5 wounds on a 5+ save. Your hero slots should not be spent here.
AELF UNITS
Starting with the Darkling Coven units, the Blackguard are going to be battleline if you take a Darkling Coven AELF as your general. Their damage is basic but their real value comes in their Steel and Sorcery ability. This unit and a Sorceress within 3” of it will have a 4+ ward. Yes, that means a big old block of Black Guard can effectively double their wounds just for having a Sorceress nearby. This tool will allow this unit to be a very effective tar pit for your opponent to slam their head against. And if you happen to get a Tenebrael Blades off they will also output a respectable amount of damage.
The Bleakswords and Dreadspears are cheap non-conditional battleline. Their damage is unextraordinary and their warscroll abilities give them exploding 6s to hit and +1 to hit on the charge respectively. They exist to fill battleline slots and screen for your good units, one of which is not Darkshards. Tenebrael Blades does not work in shooting and their shooting attack is quite bad without it. If you want to have a missile unit, don’t pick Darkshards.
Executioners are quite expensive. They have damage 2 base and 6s to hit will cause 2 mortal wounds. Not much else to discuss there. Moving on to the Scourge Privateers. Black Ark Corsairs have loads of attacks and with the help of the Fleetmaster they can get even more. Paired with Tenebrael Blades, this unit can absolutely blend whatever it may touch.
Scourgerunner Chariots have damage D3 attacks at 18”, which is just 3 against monsters. These harpoons can benefit from the Fleetmaster so if you have a lot of monsters stomping around your meta, these Chariots will keep them in check.
Kharybdiss has the Scourge Privateers. It is a relatively cheap monster that can get you a roar. It shuts off rally and inspiring presence within 12”. The damage is not remarkable, but it has its utility which is worth not nothing.
Finally, we have the Serpentis units. Drakespawn knights are a 3+ save base and have bonus damage and rend on the charge. They’ve got 10” move so they fit kind of nicely into the relatively hitty and somewhat durable cavalry category. Drakespawn chariots do impact hits and that is really about it.
Warhydra is meant to do damage and heal after combat. I do not think 12 wounds on a 4+ save is enabling to do that very effectively.
Darkriders have the same random Shadowblades keyword that the Assassin does. It does not do anything which is similar to this unit. They have a 4+ save and some attacks on not great profiles. They shut off commands for enemies within 12” on a 5+. Not sure that justifies including the unit.
Grand Strategies
There are four Grand Strategies to choose from in the book. Exemplar of the Acadamae Martial asks you to complete 4 battle tactics from the book. These are never the best pick as battle tactics can be way too finicky. Reclaim for Sigmar! asks you to have 1 CoS unit wholly within each quarter of the battlefield. Dedicating four units to four separate spots might be asking too much with objective based missions. Hold the High Ground wants you to have any friendly units and no enemy units within 12” of the center of the battlefield. This one is really easy to deny for your opponent. Banners Held High asks you to have more STANDARD BEARERS or TOTEMS than your opponent at the end of the game. Plenty of armies do not have too many standard bearers, but this one is really just asking you to kill your opponents units. You were already going to do that, so this one is the safest pick in the bunch.
Battle Tactics
You will have access to 6 battle tactics in this tome.
Bring Full Arms to Bear asks you to pick an enemy unit, use the Suppressing Fire order on it, and destroy it. This will require you to make a nice balancing act of shooting a unit with enough firepower that you kill enough models to beat their bravery, but not so much shooting that you outright kill the unit before you get the chance to suppress it.
Raise the Banner has you pick an objective your opponent controls and take it with a Command Corps unit that has their Great Herald. This is a reliable tactic because the Freeguild Command Corps is too good of a toolbox to not include in your list.
Blackpowder Bombardment asks you to kill 3 or more units in your shooting phase. The book packs some powerful missile weapons so this is possible but very risky.
Mount the Charge has you pick an objective your opponent controls and take that objective only with mounted units that made a charge move that turn. Cavaliers and Griffons are great so this is a pretty free tactic if you are planning on bringing them. Strike Without Warning asks you to charge with 3 or more CoS AELF units. With the strikes-first after charging and retreat after combat orders your AELF units have access to, charging with 3 units is very doable.
Iron Might asks you to fight with 3 CoS DUARDIN units and have no DUARDIN units destroyed in that turn. Given the variety of durability buffs you can dish out your DUARDIN, this tactic is doable albeit extremely niche.
Final Thoughts
The HUMANS feel like they are leading the pack in this book. They have the warscrolls and enhancements to make a variety of lists that can all perform well. The AELVES feel almost as good with slightly fewer options, but a lot of really good tricks. I think a Sorceress and Blackguard can fit into any list. DUARDIN feel a little lacking compared to the other options in the book. All that being said, if this book asks you to do one thing it is to find synergies to excel with. And the orders are a very interesting mechanic that can catch out plenty of opponents or force them into unideal decisions as they face down the barrel of your trap cards. I think there is so much potential for creative list building and skill expression in this book, and I hope CoS folks get their fair share of fun out of it.
Credit to Rhinoceruption, a prolific Cities of Sigmar player who offered great insights on this article.
The Flesh-eater Courts are leagues of valiant nobles, courtiers, knights, and serfs that aim to bring peace to the Mortal Realms. At least, that is what the Delusions have led them to believe. In reality, the nobles of the Flesh-eater Courts are bestial vampires and ghoulish monstrosities all led by Ushoran. Known by many titles, the Carrion King, the First Exemplar, the Sumeros Summerking, the Lord of Masques, the Sombre Paladin, the Mortarch of Delusion.
Credit: Games Workshop
Ushoran, one of Nagash’s great Mortarchs, was driven mad by something that occurred at the edges of the Realm of Death. Nagash placed him within the prison of the Shroudcage in an attempt to repair his broken mind. Sigmar’s invasion of Shyish resulted in the destruction of the Shroudcage and Ushoran’s escape. The madness, however, turned into something greater within the Shroudcage. Ushoran emerged a monstrous bestial creature dripping with madness. The delusion he now held was that he was still the valiant and beautiful Sombre Paladin that he once was. He would rally his courts and lead them to defend the mortal realms. This delusion spread to the members of his courts simply by proximity. Mortals would feast on his blood and on bountiful feasts of carrion, devolving into the ghoulish monstrosities that make up the Flesh-eater Courts. However, the madness takes them in turn, and they, in turn, see themselves as heroic figures led by the beneficent Summer King.
Playstyle
The Flesh-eater Courts is a battletome that supports a number of distinct playstyles centred around the common theme of recursion (returning slain models to the battlefield). Heroes utilize spells and abilities to debuff the enemy and strengthen your forces. You can deploy hordes of serfs or bands of knights that level volumes of attacks at your opponent while confidently occupying objectives. Or you can stomp across the battlefield with imposing monsters that wield a combination of debuffs, melee, and missile weapons.
Credit: Games Workshop
Allegiance Abilities
The FEC Deathless Courtiers battle trait is their version of the Death signature 6+ ward for all of their units. The crux of their other allegiance abilities are Noble Deed Points (which we will shorten to NDPs for the rest of this article) that are earned by their HEROES. FEC HEROES start the battle with 0 NDPs. Each time they chant a prayer or cast a spell that isn’t unbound, they get 1 NDP. After they fight, they earn a number of NDPs equal to the amount of wounds allocated to enemy units (excluding those caused by mount attacks). Each HERO can have a maximum of 6 NDPs. They will need them for FEC’s other abilities because Feeding Frenzy, Muster, and Summoning have changed entirely from their previous edition.
Feeding Frenzy is now a 12” aura that emanates from your HEROES that have 6 NDPs. The aura gives +1 attacks to melee weapons for all FEC units that are wholly within the aura. Rather than extra attacks being tied to spells, it is now just a passive buff you get for doing things you already planned on doing. So you will still have plenty of dice to chuck at your opponent.
Credit: Games Workshop
Muster Guard is the first recursion mechanic that they can utilize to return slain models. At the end of the movement phase, each COURTIER can spend 1 NDP to return 1 slain model to a SERF unit within 10” or 2 NDPs to return a KNIGHT. You can use this ability as many times as you wish as long as you have the NDPs to spend. Summon Loyal Subjects is the second major recursion mechanic. At the end of the movement phase, each ABHORRANT can spend 6 NDPs to pick 1 SERF or KNIGHT unit that has been destroyed. You can summon an identical replacement unit with half of the number of models rounded up, wholly within 6” of the board edge and more than 9” away from all enemy units. You can only replace each of your units once, and replacement units themselves can’t get replaced. What makes FEC very unique here is that the remaining models that are not set up are considered slain. This means they can be returned with abilities like Rally and Muster Guard. Note that both Summon Loyal Subjects and Muster Guard are both at the end of the movement phase. So you can position your COURTIERS, summon a replacement unit, and then muster that unit. The mustered models can be placed closer to the enemy to reduce your charge distances. Managing this NDP economy makes for interesting decision-making.
The last battle trait we have to cover is Delusions, which have also been overhauled. You get to pick 1 Delusion to apply to your FEC units for the whole battle, but you do not pick until before the first turn and after starting command points have been received. The flexibility of being able to pick your delusion after knowing the battle plan, your opponent, and who is going first is really neat. Crusading Army gives +1 to run and charge, perfect for chasing down some pesky invaders. Defenders of the Realm give +1 to save rolls while contesting objectives that you control, which is a nice durability boost for our not so great save characteristics. The Royal Hunt gives +1 to wound rolls against MONSTERS, sorry Gargants (He’s not sorry – Peter). The Grand Tournament gives +1 to hit for HEROES that are not a general and made a charge move in the same turn. The Feast Day allows Feeding Frenzy to apply, while HEROES have 4 NDPs rather than 6.
You also have access to 2 unique heroic actions. The first being Rousing Oration which allows you to roll a number of dice equal to the number of FEC units wholly within 12” of that HERO. Every 5+ gives that HERO 1 NDP. A nice extra way of generating NDPs and keeping your economy steady. The second is Scent of Blood which allows you to roll a die and on a 3+ make a move of D6”. You have to finish the move outside of 3” of enemy units. If there is an enemy with wounds allocated to it, you have to finish the move closer to that unit. A neat, albeit niche tool we can use for some minute repositioning, like walking out of combat!
Subfaction Traits Summary
Morgaunt
Morgaunt will allow each of your MORGAUNT HEROES to gain 1 NDP at the end of each turn if they are contesting an objective. A nice NDP trickle. This subfaction will also make the new Crypt Guard unit battleline.
Battleline in Morgaunt. Credit: Games Workshop
Hollowmourne
Hollowmourne will give HOLLOWMOURNE KNIGHTS +1 damage on the charge for their melee weapons (excluding mount). This subfaction will also make your Crypt Horrors battleline.
Yes, Horrors will be damage 4 on those 6s to wound.
Crypt Horrors, battleline in Hollowmourne. Credit: Games Workshop
Blisterskin
Blisterskin gives your ABHORRANTS the PRIEST keyword. Your HEROES can not chant a prayer and cast a spell in the same phase. This subfaction will also allow your Crypt Flayers to be battleline. The prayers are good, but I don’t think they are so good that this is warranted. This is really just for the Flayer enjoyers.
Gristlegore
Gristlegore will allow you to pick 1 of your GRISTLEGORE MONSTERS at the start of your combat phase to have Strikes First. This subfaction will also make your non-hero Zombie Dragons and Terrorgeists battleline. Monster mash enjoyers rejoice!
Credit: Games Workshop
Spells and Prayers
Misamal Shroud (Spell)
Miasmal Shroud has a casting value of 6 (CV6) and a range of 18”. It allows you to pick 1 visible enemy and roll 6 dice (8 if the casting roll is 10+). If 2 of those dice share a number, the enemy takes 1 mortal wound. If 3 share a number, they get -1 to hit rolls. If 4 share a number, they get -1 to wound rolls. These effects are cumulative.
Crimson Victuals (Spell)
Crimson Victuals has CV6 and range 18”. You pick one enemy unit and one FEC unit within 6” of that enemy that has a wounds characteristic of 1. The enemy suffers D3 mortal wounds and you can return 1 slain model to that friendly unit for each wound not negated. If the casting roll was 10+, the enemy suffers 2d3 mortals instead. This will help keep your SERF units topped off.
Deranged Transformation (Spell)
Lastly Deranged Transformation has CV6 and range 24”. Pick an FEC unit with a wounds characteristic of 7 or less that is wholly within range and visible. They get +2 to their move characteristic and +1 to wound until your next hero phase. If the casting roll was 10+, you can pick 3 friendly units instead of 1. This one is certainly the highlight for this lore, keeping your units screaming across the battlefield.
Bless this Meal (Prayer)
Bless this Meal is CV3 and range 18”. Pick 1 visible enemy unit. Each time a model from that unit is slain, you can heal 1 wound to a FEC unit within 6” of that enemy. This could be nice for keeping your monsters topped off.
The Summerking’s Favour (Prayer)
The Summerking’s Favour is CV3 and range 18”. You can pick 1 friendly HERO and they gain 1 additional NDP each time they slay an enemy model. Given that the max is 6, I am not sure our fighty heroes will be able to really take advantage.
Charnel Conviction (Prayer)
Charnel Conviction is CV3 and range 18”. You can give a 5+ ward to one of your units until the start of your next hero phase. A 5+ ward on any of our dense wound blocks is quite the jump in durability.
Command Traits and Artefacts
Your ABHORRANT generals will have access to 3 command traits. Shadowy Obfuscation will make your general invisible to models more than 12” away from them. Piss off pesky archers! Feverish Scholar will give your general +1 to casting, unbinding, and dispelling rolls. That bonus jumps up to +2 if that HERO has 6 NDPs. This is really nice for all those 10+ effects in the spell lore. And Kroak is shaking in his boots when it’s FECs time to unbind! Master of the Menagerie makes it so that you can use Summon Loyal Subjects on a NON-HERO MONSTER instead of only SERFS and KNIGHTS. When the MONSTER is summoned, it has 6 wounds allocated to it. Get back on the battlefield, you big beautiful monsters!
Your ABHORRANT HEROES have access to 3 artefacts of power. The Grim Garland subtracts 2 from the bravery characteristics of enemy units while they are within 9” of the bearer. This will combo nicely with some features we will cover later. The Blood-river Chalice allows the bearer to heal 2d3 in the hero phase once per battle. The Heart of the Gargant allows the bearer to add 1 to the attacks characteristic of themselves and their mount once per battle. Those last two leave a little bit to be desired.
Your COURTIER general will have access to 3 command traits. Stronger in Madness will add 2 to their wounds characteristic and give them a 5+ ward while they have 6 NDPs. Savage Beyond Reason makes their melee weapons score 2 hits instead of 1 for each unmodified hit roll of 6, 3 hits if they have 6 NDPs. Cruel Taskmaster improves their ability to use Muster Guard. Now when they spend 1 NDP to muster, they can return 1 slain KNIGHT model or 2 slain SERF models. The first two seem ok if you want to focus on a smashy Varghulf Courtier. However, the value on Cruel Taskmaster is absolutely and insanely efficient if you want to focus on blocks of KNIGHTS.
Your COURTIER HEROES have access to 3 artefacts of power. The Medal of Madness allows them to once per battle round issue a command as if they were a general without spending a command point. This simply isn’t the choice with such a lack of impact. The Flayed Pennant allows all Flesh-Eater Courts units to reroll charges while wholly within 12” of the bearer. This is not the worst artefact. The Charnel Vestments gives the bearer the PRIEST keyword. Having access to a prayer without having to invest in the Abhorrant Cardinal is really nice.
Mount Traits and Monstrous Actions
Your Royal Zombie Dragons and Royal Terrorgheists will have access to 2 unique monstrous actions. Delectable Appetizers allows you to pick 1 enemy unit within 3” with a wounds characteristic of 2 or less and roll a dice. On a 3+, that unit suffers D3 mortal wounds and the monster heals the number of wounds that were caused and not negated. This is just more healing to ensure your monster is topped off before the fight. Bloodcurdling Shriek allows you to pick 1 enemy unit within 3” and roll a dice. On a 3+, subtract 2 from the target’s bravery characteristic until the end of the turn. More bravery debuffs for more bravery shenanigans.
Your Zombie Dragon HEROES will have 3 mount traits to choose from. Baneful Breath will give the Pestilential Breath rend 2 rather than 1. Death from the Skies allows you to set up this unit in reserve and deploy at the end of the first movement phase anywhere outside of 9” of enemy units. Venerated Zombie Dragon allows you to add 1 to hit rolls for friendly Flesh-eater Courts MONSTERS wholly within 12” of this unit. That last one will be the obvious pick if your goal is Monster Mash.
Your Terrorgheist HEROES will also have 3 mount traits to choose from. Gruesome Bite adds 1 to the attack characteristics of this units Fanged Maw. This is for all your gamblers out there as the Fanged Maw is still going to cause 6 mortal wounds on 6s to hit. Horribly Resilient allows you to heal 2d3 in the hero phase with Royal Blood rather than D3. Morbheg’s Swiftness allows this unit to retreat and charge, which is a really nice bit of mobility.
Warscrolls
Nagash is in the book, but the spell lore is not really one he can take advantage of. The points seem tight, and there are a lot of neat FEC toys that interact with each other. If Nagash is your jam, he definitely fits the theme of recursion.
Terrain
The Charnel Throne is back and mostly the same. Enemies still can not use abilities that would allow them to ignore battleshock tests while they are within 12” of it. However, when one of your little 7 wound or fewer heroes is garrisoned inside, they generate D3 NDPs at the start of your hero phase! Chuck an Archregent in there and the rest of your army around it to hear a Rousing Oration, and you will be at 6 NDPs before you know it.
Abhorrant Heroes
Ushoran, the Mortarch of Delusion, has some very interesting abilities on his warscroll in addition to being a two caster Wizard. His warscroll spell is CV7 and range 18”. You pick an enemy model and 1 of its weapons. That model has to make that weapon attack against another unit within range. If your opponent is not careful, their units might get a bonk! He heals 2d3 in the hero phase and has a 5+ ward which makes him quite resilient. In the hero phase, Ushoran can pick a second delusion to apply to the army until your next hero phase. The flexibility this provides you can be so valuable. His Feeding Frenzy range is 24” rather than 12” if he has 6 NDPs. At the start of the combat phase, he will give -1 bravery to each unit within 3” that lasts for the rest of the battle. And then, he rolls 2 dice against the bravery characteristic of each enemy within 1”. If the roll surpasses that unit’s bravery, that enemy will fight last. Combining this with another hero carrying the Grim Garland can make Ushoran hand out fight last to even the bravest of units. There is a lot of utility in this single warscroll.
All ABHORRANTS can heal D3 in the hero phase with their Royal Blood ability.
The Abhorrant Archregent can use Countless Servants to return 3 SERF models or 1 KNIGHT model to a single unit within 18” of this unit. I will have a side of recursion with my recursion. Thank you very much. Being a two caster means the Archregent can generate NDPs quite well. Their CV6 warscroll spell Carrion Call allows a unit that is set up at the end of the following movement phase to make a D6” move. This warscroll is packed to the brim with value.
The Abhorrant Ghoul King does not come with similar value. It is a single caster with a CV6 warscroll spell that allows them to make a 3d6 charge in the hero phase. In the combat phase, it can pick an enemy hero to duel and get +1 damage against them. 5 attacks at damage 3 is funny, certainly. However, I do not think this mini missile will afford you the same utility as some of these other warscrolls.
The Abhorrant Cardinal is going to be your only priest outside of a COURTIER, taking the Charnel Vestments. Their warscroll prayer is CV 4 and range 18”. Pick a unit, and every time it receives a command, the command fails on a 4+. I am not sure how this prayer is expected to compete with the 5+ ward or healing/recursion prayers that have CV 3s. They generate 1 NDP from 1 prayer and then offer no other utility.
The Abhorrant Gorewarden is going to make your Morbheg Knights battleline if it is the general. It can set itself up in reserve and bring a unit of Morbheg Knights or Crypt Flayers to reserve with them, dropping onto the battlefield outside of 9”. It is a single caster with a CV6 spell that teleports them and a flying unit anywhere outside of 9” of enemies. A good bit of utility on this one, and a great pick if you want to focus on Morbheg Knights!
Grand Justice Gormayne is an interesting fella. He is not a priest, but instead has 4 judgments he can pick from to pronounce in your hero phase on a 3+. Petty Transgression lets you target a visible enemy (no range) and get +1 to wound rolls for all your FEC units that target that enemy that turn. There is some redundancy here with Deranged Transformation, but it has its uses.. Grievous Insult to the Court is the same but with +1 to hit rolls instead, with the added requirement of that enemy having to be within 3” of an ABHORRANT to be selected. Dishonourable Conduct in Battle lets you target a visible enemy (no range) that is outside of 3” of your units. All your FEC units can run and charge if they finish the charge within .5” of the target. Even more mobility? Yes, please! Regicide lets you pick a visible enemy (no range) that has slain an ABHORRANT. Your units get +1 damage against them. We have found the Abhorrant Ghoul King’s purpose!
The Abhorrant Ghoul King on Royal Terrorgheist is up to 16 wounds now. The rider has damage 2 attacks, and the Skeletal Claws are up to 7 attacks! The warscroll is otherwise mostly the same except for the CV6 warscroll spell – Ferocious Hunger, which allows a Royal Terrogheist to reroll those Fanged Maw to hit rolls. So the Terrorgheist is still the same moderate beat stick 6 fisherman we all know and love.
The Abhorrant Ghoul King on Royal Zombie Dragon also received the 16 wound and damage 2 rider treatment. On this warscroll, however, you will shut down Inspiring Presence or units within 3” of any Royal Zombie Dragon, which will combo nicely with the Bloodcurdling Shriek and the Charnel Throne. The CV 6 and range 18” warscroll spell Monstrous Hunger will give out run and charge to every FEC monster within range. If you like Monster Mash, this hero is an excellent inclusion to send your monsters barreling forward.
Courtier Heroes
Your COURTIER heroes will give you access to the Muster Guard ability, but that means they will need to generate NDPs in order to use them. None of them are wizards or priests innately, so you will have to rely on Morgaunt, Rousing Oration, the Charnel Throne, or combat to generate those NDPs.
The Marrowscroll Herald is invisible to the enemy if there are 5 FEC models within 6” of them. This keeps them exceptionally safe, and you can even abuse this to charge the Herald in and shut off unleash hell (yes, unleash hell requires visibility). The Herald can also give out an infected bone at the end of the charge phase. The enemy can deny it and give all your units within 3” of the Herald fight first. If they accept, then you can roll against their bravery every time they try to issue or receive a command, cast, or chant. If you beat their bravery, they fail. Yet another case where our bravery debuffs are going to come in handy.
The Crypt Ghast Courtier and the Royal Decapitator will be able to chain activate a SERF unit in the combat phase. In theory, you can have them fight, generate NDPs, and chain activate SERFs that are now benefiting from Feeding Frenzy. In practice, their combat profiles are just not what they need to be for this trick to work. Not to mention, they are very squishy, so the frontlines might not be where you want them. The Decapitator also has the funny 5+ auto slay at the end of combat if it dealt any wounds to a hero. Are you feeling lucky?
The Varghulf, Crypt Infernal, and Crypt Haunter are going to be your punchy COURTIERS that might be able to fight with your units a bit more efficiently. The Varghulf 2 extra attacks against 1 or 2 wound non-mounted units, a D6 heal if it slayed models, and a retreat move at the end of the combat phase. With some decent mobility and combat stats, the Varghulf could prove an interesting inclusion. If the Crypt Infernal manages to kill a model in the shooting phase, it will give +1 damage to your nearby Crypt Flayers for that shooting phase. If you’re into shooting, Flayer bricks can surprise your opponent with this trick. The Crypt Haunter can chain activate your Crypt Horrors in the combat phase, and it might have the best chance at taking advantage of that Feeding Frenzy trick. The Infernal and Haunter are only 6 wounds, meaning they can receive Deranged Transformation. Sporting 8 wounds, the Varghulf is not so lucky.
Knights
The new Morbheg Knights can pick 1 unit within 1” after a charge, and that enemy can not receive unleash hell. You can also roll a dice for each model in this unit that is within 1” of that enemy unit, and each 4+ will cause D3 mortal wounds. Archers be damned! These KNIGHTS sprint around with 12” move and a tasty 4+ save. They get +1 to run and charge and count as 3 each on objectives if they charged. On top of all of this, they can retreat and charge. These batty KNIGHTS are not to be trifled with.
The Crypt Flayers and Crypt Horrors remain the same. Flayers can pick up and transport your sub-7 wound heroes, which is the perfect tool for positioning your COURTIERS that need to muster elsewhere on the board. They also get +1 to wound for shooting sub 7 bravery targets, of which there will be many with all the bravery debuffs we can hand out. Crypt Horrors are going to be the cheapest battleline option in Hollowmourne and very hitty to boot.
Serfs
The new Cryptguard will allow Flesh-eater Courts HEROES that are wholly within 3” of a unit of Cryptguard to add 1 to their ward rolls. This will provide a nice little boost to the durability of your ever important heroes. They can also form a U shape around larger bases to get your monsters wholly within 3” of the unit. You can deploy your Cryptguard or charge them into this formation to make your monsters even more formidable (yes, Ushoran will have a 4+ ward). They also prevent enemies they damage from receiving commands for the turn. Niche for the combat phase commands, but very good for turning off Inspiring Presence.
Crypt Ghouls are the same on the warscroll, but the pitched battle profile has seen a huge update in that they are now minimum size 20! This means you can rock up to the table with Crypt Ghoul units as large as 40 or 60 models strong! The wound density of these little Ghouls makes them an exceptionally efficient choice. They will also be your only non-conditional battleline.
Royal Beastflayers are the cheapest serfs but are in no way battleline. The unit has a wounds characteristic of 1 and the SERFS keyword. This means you can return 1 model to this unit for 1 NDP from a COURTIER, 3 models to this unit with Countless Servants from an Abhorrant Archregent, and the number of other tricks this book has for replenishing SERFS. The reason this matters is because of the Offal Hound and Flaymaster models within this unit that have 2 and 3 wounds, respectively. For the price of returning a SERF model that is typically 1 wound, you can return Offal Hounds and Flymasters. This makes the Beastflayers so absolutely efficient that they will compete with Ghouls at clogging up the board and tying up your opponent. They also turn off monstrous actions and make monsters -1 damage, which is just a cherry on top.
Monsters
The non-hero version of the Royal Zombie Dragon and Royal Terrorgheist are going to be the makeup of your monster mash lists. They sport 14 wounds a piece. The Terrorgheist has the same mortals on the maw, and the Zombie Dragon has the same shutting off inspiring presence. The Zombie Dragon can be set up in reserve, which may combo nicely with Carrion Call.
Endless Spells
The Chalice of Ushoran is CV 6 with 24” range. The endless spell is all the same, except now it is an 8” flying predatory spell! You keep track of the number of models slain within 12”. At the end of the turn, you roll that many dice. For each 4+, you can heal 1 wound allocated to a Flesh-eater courts model within 12”, or return 1 slain model to a Flesh-eater courts unit wholly within 12” that has a wounds characteristic of 1. This will confidently keep your units topped off as it always did. However, now you can move it around to hide behind terrain or get out of range and avoid dispellment.
The Cadaverous Barricade is CV5 with 24” range. It becomes a piece of terrain that prevents runs, retreats, and halves movement within 3”. It might be easy to dispel, but it is super cheap and can be used to block redeploys or counter charges in your turn. Not to mention, the laughs that may ensue should it fail to be dispelled.
The Corpsemare Stampede is a CV7 with a range of 3d6” and predatory flying move of 12”. You roll 6 dice against every unit it flies across, and it does a mortal for each 6, and for each roll that’s greater than that unit’s wounds characteristic. It is on a decent sized base, so it could also be used for move blocking outside of the ok damage.
Grand Strategies
The Grand Strategies are quite difficult to achieve, and you may be better off with a generic option. On the table, none of these have proven to be very reliable.
Legendary Exploits requires having 3 FEC heroes alive with 6 NDPs each at the end of the battle. FEC feels like an army that wants to grind to the final turn, and it needs to spend those NDPs to stay on the field. I am not sure this one is feasible at all.
Expand the Kingdom requires an Abhorrant to be wholly within enemy territory while the enemy general is not wholly within their territory. This one is very easy for the opponent to deny, especially if their general is the type to sit in the back and hide anyway.
Defend the Throne requires you to have no enemy units within 6” of the Charnel Throne and have it garrisoned by one of your heroes. This one is also easily preventable by your enemy simply running up alongside the throne. The way you score this is by sitting the throne in the corner, but then the hero inside of it does not get to interact with the battle and you do not get to take advantage of the turning off battleshock abilities.
Battle Tactics
Some of these are going to be a bit challenging, but with the specific setup and list building, they can be good alternatives to the GHB tactics.
Screamed to Death requires you to kill an enemy unit with the shooting from Crypt Flayers, the Crypt Infernal, or a Terrorghiest. If you are running Crypt Flayer Bricks, this one is quite achievable. Or if there is a weakened unit or model running around that a Terrorgeist can pick off with a shout, even better.
Valiant Slaying requires you to kill a monster with attacks made by an Abhorrant. If you are not running a big monster, this one may be quite impossible unless there happens to be a severely wounded monster for an Archregent to pick off.
Overrun requires every enemy unit on the battlefield to finish the turn within 3” of an FEC unit. If you’re running large SERF blocks, then this tactic is much more achievable as you can spread yourself quite effectively and squeeze in between screens. However, this one may be a safer tactic to pick up later into the game when there are fewer enemies to tag.
Glorious Feast requires every friendly unit to be wholly within 12” of a FEC hero that has 6 NDPs. On certain battleplans where you do not want to travel far from your deployment, you may be able to reliably set this up on turn 1. You can roll Rousing Oration before you select your battle tactic. If you are going second, 2 good orations and a good roll on the D3 from Charnel Throne could guarantee this tactic. REALLY, good rolls could even make it possible as a Turn 1 tactic. More likely, though, you can pick this up towards the end of the battle when there are fewer units to track.
Lance Formation requires you to charge with two or more KNIGHT units, and each of those charge rolls must be a 7+. With +1 to charge from Crusading, +1 to charge on the Morbheg Knights, and potentially a reroll charge for a CP, this tactic is doable. Two 7+s is still a lot to ask for. Not to mention, if you are aiming to charge with more than 2 KNIGHT units, you risk more chances of failure.
The Ties of Chivalry requires you to take an objective from your opponent and be contesting it at the end of the turn with a SERF, KNIGHT, and COURTIER unit. This requires very specific positioning on the battlefield but may be one of the easier tactics we have access to.
Final Thoughts
The new Flesh-eater Courts tome has a lot of really interesting interactions that make multiple playstyles viable. Whether you want to swarm the board with hordes of bodies or punch the enemy with powerful hammers, you will be a nuisance that dies and keeps standing back up. Our overall weak save characteristics are aided by wound density and some good defensive buffs. The army has the same issue as it did last edition, which is a lack of rend across the board. We can still hope that the volume of attacks will help crack those tough saves. With strong objective presence and very neat warscroll rules, the Flesh-eater Courts are the perfect army to be able to push around a variety of toys and experiment with different lists from one battle to the next.
