The new Hedonites of Slaanesh battletome is available for pre-order now. To celebrate, we asked Jean-Baptiste Aymes, the current Warhammer Age of Sigmar World Champion and renowned Hedonites player, for some thoughts on the new book.
Jean-Baptiste: Hedonites of Slaanesh is the army that got me back into Warhammer in 2021. The range of models is beautiful, attractive, and a little bit unsettling for some, and I dove in with the launch of the 3rd edition, succumbing to the whispers and promises of the Dark Prince.
I have also always appreciated what this army represents within the Warhammer universe. Behind the satire of the excesses of the Dark Prince and his followers lies a celebration of individuality, self-expression, and those who refuse to fit into boxes.
The new battletome has managed to keep the army’s particular identity while introducing a whole bunch of new ideas to the table. The Hedonites of Slaanesh remain true to themselves – unpredictable, manipulative, and to a lesser extent, fast, but they now have a wide range of new tools to impose their rhythm on the game.
At the heart of the book are the Paragons. At the start of your turn, a new unit (up to a maximum of three) may be chosen in the sight of the Master of Excess, Slaanesh himself, and benefit from his favours as a Paragon. The most decadent figures of all do not need to prove anything anymore and are always Paragons – Sigvald the Magnificent, Glutos Orscollion, and Shalaxi Helbane.
The mechanic system adds a fascinating dimension to the choices of both players throughout the game, while remaining deeply thematic. Yet Slaanesh is fickle and might choose not to support one of his champion units anymore, if it falls from grace in his eyes. To represent this, a non-Unique can lose the Paragon keyword if it does not perform well enough in the charge, suffers too much damage outside of being attacked, or miscasts a spell.
FALL FROM GRACE
Passive
Slaanesh is a capricious patron, and he can quickly lose interest…
Effect: A friendly non-UNIQUE PARAGON immediately loses the PARAGON keyword when any of the following happen:
That PARAGON has 3 or more damage points allocated to it by the same use of a non‑ATTACK ability.
That PARAGON uses a CHARGE ability and the unmodified charge roll is 5 or less (after any re‑rolls).
A spell cast by that PARAGON is miscast (after any re-rolls).
The new battletome revolves around temptations. True to the Slaanesh philosophy, it not only provides bonuses and penalties, but also creates choices for both players. And as is often the case with this army, your opponent may feel like they’re making a good choice, but never without giving something away in return!
These mechanics connect all the elements in the book. Hedonites have a multitude of tools at their disposal to disrupt the usual flow of the game. They slow down and restrict the opponent’s movements over the table, hinder their ability to charge, hit, and use their own weapon rules and buffs, and they also alter the activation order during the combat phase. The army does not really seek to confront the enemy brutally like Ironjawz or its cousin, Blades of Khorne, but you’ll be forcing your opponent to play according to your agenda.
This philosophy is perfectly embodied by several emblematic figures in the army:
Glutos Orscollion
The Lord of Gluttony, who is the living embodiment of excess, guided by the daemon Loth’shar, remains one of my favourites. He brings 18 Health, a 3+ save, and Ward (6+) to the table, as well as a great toolbox. He can heal six damage allocated to a friendly Sybarite unit at the end of your enemy’s turn, and this ability can even bring back models!
Glutos has kept his iconic spell, which has a range of 18” and halves his target’s movement, run, and charge, and he can choose to reduce enemy charge roll by 2 with the Beguiling Glance Temptation because he’s a Paragon! He can also feast on a selection of delicacies, allowing him to choose from several particularly useful bonuses, depending on the circumstances. More than ever, he seems capable of transforming the whole game into his private banquet while the opponent struggles.
Sigvald the Magnificent
The ultimate narcissist and peerless duelist has undergone some slight rule changes, but remains quite the same. His anti-ward is less effective, but he passively gains an attack. His new Temptation remains true to the character – Sigvald still does not seem to accept rejection! And your opponent will experience it soon enough!
Lord of Hysteria
This new miniature offers a particularly interesting option for mortal infantry armies. He will be useful both offensively and defensively. He provides a boost in lethality, thanks to being able to give an additional attack to a friendly Sybarite unit, and allows the option to castle up with his Anti-charge (+1 Rend) in a 12” bubble.
LORD OF HYSTERIA:
SLAUGHTEROUS CELEBRANTS
Passive
Those Hedonites who follow a Lord of Hysteria have been stoked into such an inferno of depraved and mindless revelry that to approach them is to be dragged into a pit of wild, slavering animals and soon ripped to shreds.
Effect: While they are wholly within 12" of and visible to this unit, melee weapons used by friendly HEDONITES OF SLAANESH INFANTRY units have Anti-charge (+1 Rend).
Shalaxi Helbane
On the daemon side of the spectrum, Slaanesh’s deadliest and most perfect weapon continues to embody the obsession with the hunt. Her spell is now a Strike-first, for herself or a friendly Hedonites of Slaanesh unit, and she is always free to move because, as the Keeper of Secrets, she gained Retreat and Charge, allowing her to choose a prey and kill it with her huge bonuses against Monsters and Heroes. And once the target is gone, she shares her advantage with other Hedonites by granting them an additional attack.
The distinction between mortals and daemons in the new battletome is an interesting development. The boundaries seem somewhat less pronounced now, as many buffs and subfaction mechanics apply to both. Mortal lists possess surprisingly robust tools, while daemons retain greater mobility, aggression, and their ability to set up fights offensively.
The daemon part has some great tools on its own. Daemonettes are not as lethal as they used to be, but they can stack some powerful bonuses that will bring the fight to the backline thanks to their ability to move through enemy units. They are also well-suited for the spell Last Ecstasy, which allows them to inflict mortal damage on a unit after one of their models is slain.
LORE OF EXTRAVAGANCE
LAST ECSTASY (6)
Your Hero Phase
The caster induces such a state of mania that even death cannot stop a final revel.
Declare: Pick a friendly HEDONITES OF SLAANESH WIZARD to cast this spell, pick a visible friendly HEDONITES OF SLAANESH unit wholly within 12" of them to be the target, then make a casting roll of 2D6.
Effect: Until the start of your next turn, each time a model in the target unit is slain by a combat attack and that model was in combat with the attacking unit, roll a dice. If the target unit is a MONSTER, roll 10 dice instead. For each 4+, inflict 1 mortal damage on the attacking unit after the FIGHT ability has been resolved.
KEYWORDS: SPELL
On the daemon side, two units have my full attention! The Masque and the returning Thricefold Discord. The Masque is a huge asset to disrupt enemy plans. Its ability to move into combat during any movement phase will prevent some devastating charges from happening, or you can use it to avoid a redeploy. Being able to dive into combat during the movement phase makes him a perfect choice for the Cutting Barbs battle trait. The Hero can grant everyone a +1 to hit on the enemy unit or set its control score to 1. But they have even more cool stuff to offer!
Any Movement Phase
THE MASQUE:
THE ENDLESS DANCE
The Masque is master of every breed of quickstep, pivot and sauté imaginable – and many that appear to defy both imagination and the limits of the flesh.
Effect: Pick 1 of the following effects:
The Dance of Dreaming: Pick a visible enemy unit within 6" of this unit to be the target. For the rest of the turn, if the unmodified hit roll for an attack made by that enemy unit that targets this unit is 1-4, the attack fails and the attack sequence ends.
The Pavane of Slaanesh: This unit can move 2D3". It can move through the combat ranges of enemy units and can end that move in combat.
The Waltz of Lethargy: Pick a visible enemy unit within 6" of this unit to be the target. For the rest of the turn, the target cannot use commands while it is in combat with this unit.
I also appreciate the return of the Thricefold Discord. Beyond their superb miniatures, these daemons bring a bit of extra resilience to an army that can lack some. And on top of that, they are good magicians and decent hitters. Plus, they are a Hero and not Unique, making them a very good choice for the Paragon.
Slaanesh Manifestations also bring something really interesting to the table, though they are not easy to use. If your opponent forgets about them, the Manifestations will mess up their movements and be very punishing.
There is so much left to say about one of the most beautiful ranges of Warhammer Age of Sigmar models – the Twins (Dexcessa and Synessa), Syll’Esske, the Contorted Epitome, and many others. Most of them will bring quite some flavour to the table and to your painting desk.
There are many things I like about this new Hedonites of Slaanesh battletome. It will nevertheless take some effort to master the depth of its rules, and some time to explain them to opponents! But I think the experience will be particularly rewarding once we manage to put our plans into action.
I do not yet know exactly how the Hedonites will perform in tournaments in the months to come, but one thing is certain – I have already taken my miniatures back off the shelf!
Thanks, Jean-Baptiste! The new Hedonites of Slaanesh battletome is available to pre-order now, along with The Decadent Host battleforce, which makes an ideal start for a new army.
