We’ve got a big Faction Focus in store today, previewing three new detachments for both Chaos Space Marines and Chaos Daemons. See what the new edition of Warhammer 40,000 has in store for the heretics, traitors, and denizens of the Warp.
Chaos Space Marines
We start with the Heretic Astartes and their love of sorcerous power, massing the dangerously psychic and daemonically possessed into a Cabal of Chaos.
Cabal of Chaos
Anyone daring or foolish enough to beseech the Dark Gods for power can find themselves swelling with empyrean might, but it takes the truly skilled to get more than a passing waft of Chaos energy. The Empyric Wellspring, drawn by the mass use of warp sorceries, floods the battlefield with power, simultaneously enhancing psychic blasts and the strength of Daemon Princes.
EMPYRIC WELLSPRING
The sorcerous powers wielded by a cabal inevitably draw the attention of the Dark Gods, flooding the battlefield with immaterial energies that empower their dark magicks and their daemonically gifted comrades alike.
In your Shooting phase, when a friendly HERETIC ASTARTES PSYKER unit (excluding DAEMON units) is selected to shoot, if that unit makes a Dark Pact, that unit’s ranged attacks have +1 S.
In the Fight phase, when a friendly HERETIC ASTARTES DAEMON PRINCE unit (excluding KHORNE units) is selected to fight, if that unit makes a Dark Pact, that unit’s melee attacks have:
+2 S.
+1 AP.
Ok, yes, Khorne sits this one out. He’s never been fond of psychic powers, after all. Those of a more magical nature get their Strength boosted in addition to the normal effects of their Dark Pact, so whether your Daemon Prince is tearing tanks apart with their bare(ish) hands or your Terminator Sorcerer is getting a little extra sauce on their Infernal Gaze, the Dark Gods are watching.
But what if you want your other Characters to benefit from the Wellspring too? That’s where the Touched by the Warp Enhancement comes in, giving them the PSYKER keyword so they can interact with all of this detachment’s fun rules.
TOUCHED BY THE WARP
Saturated with empyric energies, this dark champion has spontaneously manifested the mutant powers of a true psyker.
HERETIC ASTARTES model only (excluding KHORNE models).
This model has PSYKER.
This model’s weapons have [PSYCHIC].
What are those rules, exactly? One of them lets any Psyker in your army loose a bolt of raw Chaos, instantly inflicting a Fleshy Curse that transforms them into, at the very least, a dead version of themselves. Now imagine how surprised your opponent would be if that suddenly flew out of a Master of Executions.
FLESHY CURSE (1CP)
CABAL OF CHAOS STRATAGEM
Chanting words of forbidden power, this heretic witch triggers a ghastly explosion of hypermutation within the bodies of foes, rapidly transforming them into heaving mounds of gibbering meat.
WHEN: Start of your Shooting phase.
TARGET: One friendly HERETIC ASTARTES PSYKER unit.
EFFECT: Select one visible enemy unit within 12" of your unit. Roll one D6:
On a 1, that enemy unit suffers 1 mortal wound.
On a 2-4, that enemy unit suffers D3 mortal wounds.
On a 5-6, that enemy unit suffers 2D3 mortal wounds.
These mortal wounds are inflicted by a psychic attack.
Devotees of Destruction
If you’re one of the siege specialists who signed on with the Iron Warriors during their Eye of Terror campaign, you’re going to love the Devotees of Destruction. You don’t have to sign up with Perturabo’s Legion, but this ranged combat-focused detachment boosts many of their signature units, such as giving the Heavy ability to Havocs and Obliterators.
RAIN OF RUIN
It is not enough for these heretical reavers merely to defeat their foes. Instead, they must pound all before them to smouldering oblivion with overwhelming salvoes of fire.
Friendly HAVOCS/OBLITERATORS units’ ranged attacks have [HEAVY].
Havocs carry weapons that are usually Heavy in other armies, such as lascannons and missile launchers, but their Space Marine physiology lets them carry and fire them without the usual hit to their Ballistic Skill. Adding Heavy back in further improves their accuracy, as they now hit on a 2+ when they meet the updated Heavy criteria.
[HEAVY]
Heavy weapons are amongst the biggest guns on the battlefield, but require bracing to fire at full effect.
In your Shooting phase, each time an attack is made with a [HEAVY] weapon, add 1 to the hit roll if all of the following apply to the attacking unit:
That unit is unengaged.
That unit was not set up on the battlefield this turn.
No model in that unit has moved more than 3" this turn.
It wouldn’t be an Iron Warriors-themed detachment without some Warpsmiths running around, and they get their own representation with the Pact of Destruction enhancement. This handy boon helps to offset the drawbacks of their Dark Pacts, letting them re-roll the Leadership test to avoid damage and then heal lost Wounds when they kill things in ranged combat.
PACT OF DESTRUCTION
There are those daemonic entities within the Warp that are willing to offer their boons to any who will wreak wholesale devastation in their name, at least for as long as the carnage holds their capricious attention.
WARPSMITH model only.
When this unit uses its Dark Pacts ability, this unit can re-roll Leadership rolls.
In your Shooting phase, when this unit has shot, if this unit used its Dark Pacts ability and if those attacks destroyed an enemy model, this unit heals 3 wounds.
Speaking of Dark Pacts, isn’t it a shame that you have to choose between Lethal Hits and Sustained Hits 1 when begging the Chaos Gods for power? Have you tried saying please? Blow up enough stuff, and they’ll let you have both for the low price of one Command Point (and your everlasting soul).
RUINATION’S BOUNTY (1CP)
DEVOTEES OF DESTRUCTION STRATAGEM
As the murderous rain of projectiles redoubles and the fires of ruin burn higher, so the favour of the Dark Gods falls upon the architects of this devastation.
WHEN: Your Shooting phase, when a friendly HAVOCS/ OBLITERATORS unit is selected to shoot.
TARGET: That HAVOCS/OBLITERATORS unit.
EFFECT: When your unit uses the Dark Pacts ability, your unit’s ranged attacks have:
[LETHAL HITS].
[SUSTAINED HITS 1].
Murdertalon Raiders
So we have sorcerous powers, we have grinding siegecraft… What else are the Chaos Space Marines known for? How about roaring through the air and viciously murdering the weak and vulnerable for the amusement of the Dark Gods? That sounds very Night Lords-y to us.
PREY ON THE WEAK
The more bloodied, scattered and thinned are the ranks of the enemy, the more frenzied and brutal the attacks of these sadistic Chaos Space Marines become.
Friendly HERETIC ASTARTES INFANTRY FLY units’ attacks that target a battle-shocked unit or a unit at or below half-strength can re-roll hit rolls of 1.
When an enemy unit’s attacks target a friendly HERETIC ASTARTES INFANTRY FLY unit, if that enemy unit is battle-shocked or at or below half-strength, those attacks have -1 to hit rolls.
This detachment has the NIGHTMARE tag and cannot be taken with another NIGHTMARE detachment.
Warp Talons and Raptors get a lot of mileage out of this detachment, swinging melee fights far in their favour when their victims have already been through the wringer. This is a detachment that relies on the rest of the army setting up their targets, and focuses on the big payoff when things go their way.
Such predatory fighters are adept at using darkness to their advantage, especially when it’s sorcerous in nature, and the Shadowcowl Talisman casts just such a pall over the bearer’s unit. Your Raptors will already be fighting at an advantage if you play your cards right, so why not push it a little further with an Invulnerable Save? Fighting fair is for the dead.
SHADOWCOWL TALISMAN
Worked with diabolical incantations of occlusion, wound about with subtle enchantments, this onyx disc draws a penumbral aura about the bearer that hides him from the eyes of his prey.
CHAOS LORD WITH JUMP PACK model only. This unit has 5+ InSv.
Of course, the best way to avoid damage is to kill everything before they can swing back in the first place. A swift descent with the Plunging Talons stratagem will tip the scales further in your favour, because everyone loves re-rolling Wound rolls.
PLUNGING TALONS (1CP)
MURDERTALON RAIDERS STRATAGEM
With a last-second blast of speed from their jump packs, the Chaos Space Marines slam into their enemies blades-first.
WHEN: Fight phase, when a friendly HERETIC ASTARTES INFANTRY FLY unit that made a charge move this turn is selected to fight.
TARGET: That HERETIC ASTARTES INFANTRY FLY unit.
EFFECT: Your unit’s melee attacks have [LANCE].
Chaos Daemons
The forces of Chaos aren’t all mortal, however, and the daemonic legions also get their own new detachments.
Cavalcade of Chaos
The first Daemons detachment is for high-speed Mounted units like Bloodcrushers, Seekers, and the Fateskimmer, keeping them nimble so they can weave in and out of close combat on their own terms – whether they want to charge back in or blaze away from afar.
UNHOLY AVALANCHE
Infused with the Warp’s unholy power, temporary ebbs of slaughter can be twisted into thundering advances of daemonic power in a heartbeat.
If a friendly LEGIONES DAEMONICA MOUNTED unit made a fall-back move this turn, that move does not prevent that unit from being eligible to shoot/eligible to declare a charge.
Such units typically have quite large bases, which can hinder their ability to get all of the models in a squad into close combat – especially when fighting in and around terrain features. The Soul-shattering Charge enhancement goes a long way to alleviating this natural drawback, by allowing far more models than usual to get within engagement range of their opponents.
SOUL-SHATTERING CHARGE (Upgrade)
The impact of these terrifying riders is enough to blast the very soulstuff from the bodies of their victims, leaving even those foes that resist as hollow shells of their former might.
LEGIONES DAEMONICA MOUNTED unit only. When this unit is selected to fight, if this unit made a charge move this turn, you can use this ability. If you do, when determining which models in this unit can fight, friendly models that are within 3" of enemy units engaged with this unit can target those enemy units.
If they need to move through those terrain features altogether, they can also lean on the Warp-Riders stratagem, which gives a Mounted unit the ever-useful Mobile keyword. This small addition allows them to move through dense terrain features like ruins and walls when they otherwise wouldn’t be able to, freeing up their Movement range to speed right for the heart of the enemy army.
WARP-RIDERS (1CP)
CAVALCADE OF CHAOS STRATAGEM
Thundering along the spectral ways of the Warp, these infernal riders pass through solid matter like spectres out of some voidsman’s gheist story.
WHEN: Your Movement phase, when a friendly LEGIONES DAEMONICA MOUNTED unit is selected to move.
TARGET: That LEGIONES DAEMONICA MOUNTED unit.
EFFECT: Your unit has MOBILE.
Lords of the Warp
Although Greater Daemons and Daemon Princes are often the stars of a daemonic army, the lesser champions of the Dark Gods – like Bloodmasters, Contorted Epitomes, and Sloppity Bilepipers – are a vital link in the command chain. Their presence forms Loci of Power, augmenting their formidable wills and assuring their dominion over objectives.
LOCI OF POWER
Seething with the baleful energies of the Immaterium, the dark nobility of the daemon legions manifest as living icons of their gods’ powers burned into the very flesh of realspace.
Friendly LEGIONES DAEMONICA CHARACTER models (excluding MONSTER models) have +1 Ld and OC.
The extra Leadership synergises with the Battle-shock test bonus from the Shadow of Chaos rule,* making sure your daemons are firmly anchored in the material realm, while the bolstered OC can help you grab a vital objective in a pinch.
As useful as they are, these smaller Characters lack the immense durability of Greater Daemons and Daemon Princes, so anything that keeps them around a bit longer on the battlefield is worth its weight in souls. Lo and behold, the Swollen with Power Enhancement is a straightforward yet powerful bonus you can bestow upon several units at once.
SWOLLEN WITH POWER (Upgrade)
Unholy energies roll in waves through this captain of the daemonic legions, straining its corporeal shell with infernal might.
LEGIONES DAEMONICA CHARACTER model only (excluding MONSTER units). This model has +2 W.
Each kind of daemon has its own specialities, and Slaanesh prizes speed above all else. Units led by one of their Characters can be whipped up into a Carnival of Excess, giving them all Fights First when they most need it and ensuring a few get some wicked hits in against determined opposition.
CARNIVAL OF EXCESS (1CP)
LORDS OF THE WARP STRATAGEM
Whirling wildly through the fight, shrieking with unholy glee and excitement, the daemonic servants of Slaanesh compete to unleash the greatest excesses of elegant violence.
WHEN: Fight phase, when an enemy unit has fought.
TARGET: One friendly LEGIONES DAEMONICA CHARACTER SLAANESH unit (excluding MONSTER units) that has not been selected to fight this phase.
EFFECT: Your unit has Fights First and must be the next unit you select to fight.
Warptide
Last but not least, we circle back to the daemons that make the Dark Gods’ plans keep ticking – the uncountable legions of BATTLELINE manifestations that form the bulk of daemonic armies. The Warptide is all about throwing as many Bloodletters, Plaguebearers, Horrors and Daemonettes as possible into enemy lines, burying mortal defenders under a howling wave of warp madness.
SHUDDERBLINK
These daemons’ physical manifestations flicker in and out of being like a pict-reel skipping and projecting too quickly. One moment, they are a distant threat; the next, they are upon their horrified victims.
When a friendly LEGIONES DAEMONICA BATTLELINE unit is selected to make an advance move:
That unit’s ranged attacks have [ASSAULT] until the end of the turn.
That move does not prevent that unit from being eligible to declare a charge.
Bowling over your opponent’s front line as fast as possible is the order of the day. Shudderblink helps out both your ranged and melee troops, as Pink and Blue Horrors surge forwards, hurling coruscating flames while Bloodletters, Plaguebearers, and Daemonettes all leap into close combat before the opponent knows what’s hitting them.
All of these rank-and-file daemons excel at butchering similarly sized enemies, but can struggle against tougher foes who can weather their blows with enhanced Toughness. Bane-forged Weapons level the playing field with a straightforward Strength boost, which can be given to up to three units thanks to the upgrade tag.
BANE-FORGED WEAPONS (Upgrade)
The manifest armaments of these daemonic warriors drip with curses and moan with baleful energies that are the anathema of all life.
LEGIONES DAEMONICA BATTLELINE unit only. This unit’s attacks have +1 S.
With so many daemons on the field, the fabric of reality is malleable to the extreme, and warp energy flows through its cracks freely. This suffusion of Chaos power bolsters daemons’ corporeal manifestations, and can even knit their essence back together when the level of Daemonic Infestation is high enough.
DAEMONIC INFESTATION (1CP)
WARPTIDE STRATAGEM
Manifesting in great numbers and flowing through and around one another almost like a single unholy entity, the footsoldiers of the daemon legions appear to be everywhere at once.
WHEN: Your Command phase.
TARGET: One friendly LEGIONES DAEMONICA BATTLELINE unit (excluding PINK HORRORS units).
EFFECT: Your unit heals 3 wounds.
That’s a lot of Chaos! There’ll be more next week too, with the World Eaters and Death Guard getting their own detachments, but we’re starting the week with their mortal enemies in the Adepta Sororitas. See you then!
* Especially important now that you need to take a Leadership test to remove Battle-shock in the Command phase!
