The Helsmiths of Hashut are tyrannical despots who have the audacity to ensnare daemons from the Realm of Chaos and bind them into weapons. Their desire for domination over all things, and their view of the Realms as a vast stockpile of resources to feed their greedy empire, is reflected by their rules in Warhammer Age of Sigmar – the more territory you control, the more power suffuses your forces.
When the Zharrdron head to war, they Leave the Land in Ruin. Units that are out of combat or contesting an objective or terrain piece earn a desolation token at the start the turn if they don’t already have one. These units can Harness Daemonic Power at the start of each turn, transforming the tokens into daemonic power points, which can then be allocated to anyone but hobgrots.
By spending a Command Point, they may also draw on Reserves of Daemonic Power in the Hero Phase, suffusing one unit with additional daemonic power points. But what does all this raw energy do?
HARNESS DAEMONIC POWER
Once Per Turn (Army), Start of Your Turn
The Helsmiths of Hashut believe themselves above the fell influence of Chaos and readily harness daemonic power to embolden their spellcraft and ensorcelled weapons.
Effect: You must use this ability at the start of each of your turns. Remove all daemonic power points from each friendly unit. Then, gain 1 daemonic power point for each friendly desolation token on the battlefield.
Then, allocate your daemonic power points to friendly non-HOBGROT HELSMITHS OF HASHUT units. Each unit can have a maximum of 3 daemonic power points. Then, all unallocated daemonic power points are lost.
Designer’s Note: Non-HOBGROT units have abilities that become more powerful depending on how many daemonic power points they have. We recommend using coloured dice to track the number of points each unit has.
Daemonic power enables your troops and heroes in unique ways. Take the War Despot – this Black-Hearted Conqueror adds three to the control score for units within 6” for each point he has.
Infernal Cohorts earn Daemonic Resilience, granting a Ward save that grows as they swell with power, eventually capping at Ward (5+) and Ward (4+) against damage inflicted by prayers and spellcraft.
WAR DESPOT
BLACK-HEARTED CONQUEROR
Passive
Those sworn to serve beneath a Despot must offer them conquest and tribute or suffer the consequences…
Effect: Add 3 to the control scores of friendly HELSMITHS OF HASHUT INFANTRY units while they are wholly within 6" of this unit. Add 6" to the range of this ability for each daemonic power point this unit has.
INFERNAL COHORT
DAEMONIC RESILIENCE
Passive
Spitting contempt from between their tusks, these duardin refuse to show the slightest shred of weakness.
Effect: Apply the effect below that corresponds with the number of daemonic power points (DPP) this unit has:
DPP: 1 Effect: This unit has WARD (6+).
DPP: 2 Effect: This unit has WARD (5+).
DPP: 3 Effect: This unit has WARD (4+) against damage inflicted by SPELLS, PRAYERS and abilities used by MANIFESTATIONS. Otherwise, it has WARD (5+).
The bipedal Dominator Engines, forged in the image of Hashut, are fuelled by furnaces that roar with the blaze of daemonfire. Each allocated point improves that Daemonic Strength, increasing their Movement characteristic by 1” and their Attacks by one for each point.
A fully powered Dominator Engine with Bane Maces can smash out seven Attacks that deal three Damage, while those equipped with Immolation Cannons can bolster their guns to eight Attacks – and that’s before they get to stamp and gore foes in combat.
DOMINATOR ENGINE
RANGED WEAPONS
Immolation Cannons
ANTI-CAVALRY (+1 Rend) Shoot in Combat
Rng: 8”
Atk: 5
Hit: 2+
Wnd: 4+
Rnd: 1
Dmg: D3
MELEE WEAPONS
Bane Maces
Charge (+1 Damage)
Atk: 4
Hit: 4+
Wnd: 2+
Rnd: 1
Dmg: 3
DAEMONIC STRENGTH
Passive
When empowered with a surplus of daemonic energy, Dominator Engines are made faster and deadlier still.
Effect: For each daemonic power point this unit has:
Add 1" to its Move characteristic.
Add 1 to the Attacks characteristic of its weapons.
The Zharrdron harness the Lore of Infernal Power for Daemonsmiths, magical mastery over earth and fire. Halve the Movement of enemy units with Hateful Fractures, or summon a wave of Molten Metal that can torch armour and flesh alike.
LORE OF INFERNAL POWER
HATEFUL FRACTURES
Your Hero Phase (6)
The sorcerer clenches a contemptuous fist, seeing firm ground beneath their foes suddenly splinter and crack.
Declare: Pick a friendly HELSMITHS OF HASHUT WIZARD to cast this spell, pick a visible enemy unit within 18" of them to be the target, then make a casting roll of 2D6.
Effect: Halve the target’s Move characteristic until the start of your next turn.
KEYWORDS: SPELL, UNLIMITED
LORE OF INFERNAL POWER
MOLTEN METAL
Your Hero Phase (8)
A wave of hellish, liquid metal that strips armour and melts flesh surges forth into the enemy line.
Declare: Pick a friendly HELSMITHS OF HASHUT WIZARD to cast this spell, pick a visible enemy unit within 18" of them to be the target, then make a casting roll of 2D6.
Effect: Roll a number of dice equal to the unmodified casting roll. Inflict 1 mortal damage on the target for each roll that equals or exceeds the target’s Save characteristic.
KEYWORDS: SPELL
By invoking the raging contempt of the Bullfather with Prayers of the Scorched Sect, Ashen Elders can summon the Black Flames of Hashut to incinerate their foes. A particularly scornful Furnace Blessing further tortures the daemons bound in your army’s weapons, blazing hotter in impotent outrage.
PRAYERS OF THE SCORCHED SECT
BLACK FLAMES OF HASHUT
Your Hero Phase (4)
Spitting the Bullfather’s contempt, the priest causes their enemies to be wreathed in abyssal fire – a worthy punishment for the weak.
Declare: Pick a friendly HELSMITHS OF HASHUT PRIEST to chant this prayer, pick a visible enemy unit within 12" of them to be the target, then make a chanting roll of D6.
Effect: Roll a number of dice equal to the number of models in the target unit. For each 5+, inflict 1 mortal damage on the target. If the chanting roll was 8+, inflict 1 mortal damage on the target for each 4+ instead.
KEYWORDS: PRAYER, UNLIMITED
PRAYERS OF THE SCORCHED SECT
FURNACE BLESSING
Your Hero Phase (4)
The priest pours burning scorn upon the daemonic essences bound in duardin steel, seeing the weapons of the Hashutites blaze in molten outrage.
Declare: Pick a friendly HELSMITHS OF HASHUT PRIEST to chant this prayer, pick a visible friendly HELSMITHS OF HASHUT unit wholly within 12" of them to be the target, then make a chanting roll of D6.
Effect: Add 1 to the Rend characteristic of the target’s melee weapons for the rest of the turn. If the chanting roll was 8+, that unit’s melee weapons also have Crit (Mortal) for the rest of the turn.
KEYWORDS: PRAYER
Lesser units like Hobgrot Vandalz are designed to race forward in the Deployment Phase to create a disposable front line, while Bull Centaurs and Anointed Sentinels thunder into battle with high movement and overwhelming strength. Four battle formations point to armies of infantry, war machines, mutant centaurs, or scornful sorcerers, providing benefits whenever you pour daemonic power into those particular units.
We’ll be taking a closer look at some of the units not in the army set on Warhammer Community shortly.
