Slaanesh is the Chaos God of temptation and excess in all things. The battle traits in the new battletome reflect how the followers of Slaanesh seek the favour of their god and tempt the rest of the Mortal Realms – learn more about them today.
Seeking the blessings of Slaanesh can be a fool’s errand, but if the eye of the Dark Prince falls upon you, then you may find yourself as a Paragon, leading your followers to debauched experiences.
Start of Your Turn
PARAGONS OF SLAANESH
Those who serve their own dark desires earn Slaanesh’s favour.
Declare: If there are fewer than 3 friendly PARAGONS on the battlefield, pick a friendly HEDONITES OF SLAANESH unit that does not have the PARAGON keyword and has not had the PARAGON keyword this battle to be the target.
Effect: The target gains the PARAGON keyword.
Designer’s Note: Friendly units with the PARAGON keyword
on their warscroll count towards the number of friendly PARAGONS on the battlefield. If there are more than 3 friendly PARAGONS on
the battlefield at the same time, you must immediately remove those units from the battlefield one at a time until there are only 3 friendly PARAGONS left on the battlefield.
Some of Slaanesh’s followers are so beloved that they natively have the Paragon keyword, such as Glutos Orscollion – the Lord of Gluttony – renowned for leading the eternal bacchanal.
GLUTOS ORSCOLLION, LORD OF GLUTTONY
RANGED WEAPONS | Rng | Atk | Hit | Wnd | Rnd | Dmg |
Leerstave of Loth’shar | 12″ | 3 | 3+ | 3+ | 1 | 3 |
MELEE WEAPONS | Atk | Hit | Wnd | Rnd | Dmg |
Glutos’s Choking Tentacles | 2 | 4+ | 2+ | 2 | 3 |
Kyazu’s Greatblade and Mutants’ Claws | 6 | 3+ | 3+ | 1 | 3 |
KEYWORDS: WARMASTER, UNIQUE, HERO, WAR MACHINE, WIZARD (2), WARD (6+), CHAOS, HEDONITES OF SLAANESH, SYBARITE, PARAGON
But being a Paragon doesn’t mean that you’ll always remain a Paragon. Slaanesh is a fickle god and can suddenly decide that you’re no longer the hottest thing on the block.
Passive
FALL FROM GRACE
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).
Those who remain Paragons in the eyes of their god receive bonuses when using the new Temptations. Many of the Temptations have different effects that your opponent has to choose from, and none of them are good for your foe. But when a Paragon unit is using the Temptation ability, you get to decide.
For example, use some Cutting Barbs when in combat. Will your enemy rise to the insults and forget that key objective they’re supposed to be holding, or turn aside from them and become easier to hit?
Once Per Turn (Army), Any Movement Phase
CUTTING BARBS
This champion releases a wave of snide vitriol that pierces to their foe’s core.
Declare: Pick a friendly HEDONITES OF SLAANESH HERO that has not used a TEMPTATION ability this turn to use this ability. Then, pick an enemy unit in combat with that HERO to be the target.
Effect: If the unit using this ability is a PARAGON, pick 1 of the effects below. Otherwise, your opponent must pick 1 of the effects below.
Rise to the Insults: For the rest of the turn, the target has a maximum control score of 1.
Turn Aside from the Insults: For the rest of the turn, add 1 to hit rolls for attacks made by friendly HEDONITES OF SLAANESH units that target that enemy unit.
KEYWORDS: TEMPTATION
Or captivate your enemies with Enthralling Vanity – more hits or enemy weapon abilities have no effect. How is a Paragon supposed to decide between two such tempting choices?
Once Per Turn (Army), Any Combat Phase
ENTHRALLING VANITY
When a Hedonite champion calls for adoration, it is difficult to resist.
Declare: Pick a friendly HEDONITES OF SLAANESH HERO unit that has not used a TEMPTATION ability this turn to use this ability. Then, pick a visible enemy unit within 12" of that HERO to be the target.
Effect: If the unit using this ability is a PARAGON, pick 1 of the effects below. Otherwise, your opponent must pick 1 of the effects below.
Mesmerised: For the rest of the turn, weapons used by friendly HEDONITES OF SLAANESH units for attacks that target that unit, including Companion weapons, have Crit (2 Hits).
Break their Gaze: For the rest of the turn, other than the Companion ability, weapon abilities for combat attacks made by the target have no effect.
KEYWORDS: TEMPTATION
There are six Temptations in total, plus some units have additional ones on their warscrolls, all of which can be used in various phases to give your Hedonites of Slaanesh the upper hand just when you need it. The key to getting the most out of them is choosing which units to select as your Paragons and when – master that, and you’re part of the way to mastering the Hedonites of Slaanesh.
Some Heroes have Temptations on their warscrolls. For example, the new Lord of Hysteria is always ready to host a party.
LORD OF HYSTERIA
Once Per Turn (Army), Your Hero Phase
MASTER OF THE REVELS
Empowered by the lordly daemon that shares their soul, a Lord of Hysteria knows many means by which to inspire a wild frenzy in their followers.
Declare: If this unit has not used a TEMPTATION ability this turn, pick a visible friendly SYBARITE unit wholly within 12" of this unit to be the target.
Effect: If the target is a PARAGON, apply the following effect to the target. Otherwise, roll a dice. On a 3+, apply the following effect to the target:
For the rest of the turn, while the target is wholly within 12" of this unit, add 1 to the Attacks characteristic of the target’s melee weapons.
KEYWORDS: TEMPTATION
The battletome also includes four battle formations – choose Godseeker Cavalcade to make an already quick army even faster thanks to the Godly Spoor.
GODSEEKER CAVALCADE
Passive
GODLY SPOOR
The merest trace of Slaanesh’s divine power sees these Hedonites hurtling along at pace.
Effect: While they are wholly within 9" of a battlefield edge, friendly HEDONITES OF SLAANESH units can use CHARGE abilities even if they used a RUN ability in the same turn.
Outflanking Slickblade Seekers will be able to strike the enemy where they least expect it, hitting hard with their glaives when they charge.
Which Hedonites of Slaanesh Hero wouldn’t want to be the Centre of Attention? Stand in the middle of the battlefield with a sneer on your face and demonstrate your contempt to your enemies. Of course, this heroic trait does mean you need to remain near the centre of the battlefield, so you can’t be quite as clever with your movement.
HEROIC TRAITS
Any Hero Phase
CENTRE OF ATTENTION
Such is the dazzling self-possession of this champion that many enemies cannot help but be stupefied around them.
Declare: Pick a visible enemy unit within 12" of this unit to be the target.
Effect: Roll a dice. On a 3+, for the rest of the turn, while this unit is wholly within 12" of the centre of the battlefield and visible to the target:
Subtract 1 from hit rolls for attacks made by that enemy unit that target other friendly HEDONITES OF SLAANESH units.
Add 1 to hit rolls for combat attacks made by other friendly HEDONITES OF SLAANESH units that target that enemy unit.
The Hedonites of Slaanesh are still fast in their new battletome, and they’re also still pretty squishy – so you need to choose your targets carefully. If you make a mistake, or one of your key units is caught out by your opponent, you can bring some of them back thanks to the Crown of the Ur-Slaanesh.
ARTEFACTS OF POWER
Once Per Battle, Your Movement Phase
CROWN OF THE UR-SLAANESH (1)
Once worn by Luxcious, the first Pretender, this majestic crown draws in devoted followers by the score.
Declare: Pick a friendly non-HERO INFANTRY HEDONITES OF SLAANESH unit that has been destroyed to be the target.
Effect: Set up a replacement unit with half the number of models from the target unit (rounding up) wholly within 12" of this unit and more than 9" from all enemy units.
The Keeper of Secrets has a similar ability on their warscroll, entitled Locus of Slaanesh. As a Wizard, they can also cast Last Ecstasy from the Lore of Extravagance, so that if any of your warriors do die, they’ll be able to take down some foes with them as they dance their final dance.
LORE OF EXTRAVAGANCE
Your Hero Phase
LAST ECSTASY
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
You’ll be able to enjoy these new boons with which the Dark Prince has blessed you when the Hedonites of Slaanesh battletome goes up for pre-order on Saturday. Join us later in the week when we’ll be taking a look at the Armies of Renown from the book, including one based around the Magnificent One, Sigvald.
