Waves of terror ripple across the battlefield and earth-shaking steps thunder from the gloom. It can only mean one thing – the Chaos Knights are coming, and alongside the updated datasheets and Crusade rules in their Codex, they’ll have all-new ways to deploy with a slate of fresh Detachments.
The new Codex contains four Detachments, with the newly improved Traitoris Lance boosting the army’s Dread abilities and general performance, while the Infernal Lance channels the powers of the Warp to infuse Knights with malefic strength – at a price. Both of these work great when fielding a mixed force of large Knights and War Dogs, but if you prefer to swing fully one way or the other, the other two Detachments have some enticing options.
The Lords of Dread care about one thing only – their own personal glory – and they view War Dogs with open contempt. Instead, they’re all about dominating the battlefield in their titanic Questoris-pattern Knights, and for all their egomaniacal excess they’re well practised at taking and holding ground without the support of their lessers.
Detachment Rule
LORDS OF DREAD:
TYRANNICAL COURT
Every one of these egomaniacal warriors seeks to claim all the battlefield glory for themselves, at any cost.
Improve the Objective Control characteristic of Chaos Knights Character models from your army by 2. In addition, once per battle round, if your Warlord is on the battlefield, you can use the Claimed for the Dark Gods Stratagem for 0CP.
CLAIMED FOR THE DARK GODS
LORDS OF DREAD - EPIC DEED STRATAGEM
The Fallen Noble dedicates their latest conquest to the Dark Gods in hope of reward.
WHEN: Start of any phase.
TARGET: One Chaos Knights Character unit from your army that is within range of one or more objective markers you control.
EFFECT: Select one enemy Monster or Vehicle unit. Until the end of the phase, each time a model in your unit makes an attack that targets that enemy unit, re-roll a Hit roll of 1 and re-roll a Wound roll of 1. Each time a model in your unit makes an attack that targets that enemy unit, if that enemy unit is Titanic, you can re-roll the Hit roll and you can re-roll the Wound roll instead.
All of their Stratagems are geared towards your Character units, and they notably come stocked with more Enhancement options than usual – six, to be precise. All of them give a Knight a passive bonus – such as Warp-borne Stalker, which bestows Deep Strike – and each comes with a powerful once-per-battle ability. If a particularly lethal attack looks like it will slip past your armour, for instance, the Blessing of the Dark Master can knock that Damage down to a zero.
Enhancement
WARP-BORNE STALKER
Daemonic whispers guide this Knight's pilot through the empyric tempests, straight into battle.
Chaos Knights model only. The bearer has the Deep Strike ability. In addition, once per battle, at the end of your opponent's turn, if the bearer is not within Engagement Range of one or more enemy units, you can remove it from the battlefield and place it into Strategic Reserves.
Enhancement
BLESSING OF THE DARK MASTER
This pilot has won the favour of a sinister patron, granting them a measure of mysterious protection.
Chaos Knights model only. The bearer has the Stealth ability. In addition, once per battle, after you make a saving throw for the bearer, you can change the Damage characteristic of that attack to 0.
For maximum arrogance, why even bother swinging your weapons at the swarming chattel down there when you have some perfectly good feet with which to paste them? One sweep of your titanic talons and they’ll be Crushed Like Vermin, so you can get on with the important work of hunting down worthier foes.
CRUSHED LIKE VERMIN
LORDS OF DREAD - EPIC DEED STRATAGEM
Screaming enemy warriors are crushed to gory paste as the Chaos Knight tramples spitefully through their midst, stamping and raking these unworthy foes with its huge, taloned feet.
WHEN: Your Movement phase, just after a Chaos Knights Character unit from your army ends a Normal move.
TARGET: That Chaos Knights Character unit.
EFFECT: Select one enemy unit (excluding Monsters and Vehicles) that your unit moved over during that move and roll six D6: for each 4+, that enemy unit suffers 1 mortal wound. If one or more models are destroyed as a result of this Stratagem, that enemy unit must take a Battle-shock test.
If, on the other hand, you can’t stand the posturing of the selfish elite and want to muck it up with the War Dogs, the Houndpack Lance* lets you ignore the big guys entirely. As War Dog units don’t normally have the CHARACTER keyword, this Detachment lets you choose three units to gain it – so you can upgrade them with Enhancements and make one your Warlord.
DETACHMENT RULE
HOUNDPACK LANCE:
MARKED PREY
Once War Dogs have singled out a victim, they target it relentlessly until it is dragged down and torn apart.
At the start of your Command phase, select one unit from your opponent's army. Until the start of your next Command phase, each time a WAR DOG model from your army makes an attack that targets that enemy unit, if that unit is visible to the attacking model, that attack has the [SUSTAINED HITS 1] ability.
KEYWORDS
While using the Houndpack Lance Detachment, the following rules apply:
Your army must include three or more War Dog units.
War Dog units from your army have the Battleline keyword.
When mustering your army, select three War Dog units from your army. Until the end of the battle, those units have the Character keyword.*
* Designer's Note: This means that the selected units can be given Enhancements and one of them can be selected as your Warlord.
How many War Dogs can you use in a Houndpack Lance? At our estimation it’s about 13, which is a lot of corrupted steel for an enemy to hold back. We’re particularly fond of an Enhancement that gives one the Super-heavy Walker rule so it can steamroll through enemy units like they’re not there.
ENHANCEMENT
PREYSLAYER'S MANTLE
This ancient War Dog chassis is said to have been forged in warpfires and ensorcelled with the spirit of the hunt unending.
War Dog model only. The bearer has the Super-heavy Walker ability.
HUNGRY FOR COMBAT
HOUNDPACK LANCE - BATTLE TACTIC STRATAGEM
Eager to get into battle, these War Dogs hope to win glory and prove their worth to peers and masters alike.
WHEN: Start of the Fight phase
TARGET: Two or more War Dog units from your army within Engagement Range of the same enemy unit.
EFFECT: Select one enemy unit within Engagement Range of those War Dog units. Until the end of the phase, models in those War Dog units can only target that enemy unit, but each time a model in one of those War Dog units makes an attack, an unmodified Hit roll of 5+ scores a Critical Hit.
Looking forward to getting your heavy metal traitors stuck into the slaughter? Come back to the Warhammer store on Saturday for pre-orders on the Codex, new Knight Ruinator, and other accessories. We’ll see you again in a few days to look over the Chaos Knights’ updated Crusade rules!
* It’s no coincidence that the all-War Dog battleforce carries the same name.
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