The Spearhead: City of Ash boxed set is available for pre-order on Saturday. The new Skaven miniatures inside are also getting rules for Warhammer Age of Sigmar – join us as we learn how to hunt down high-value targets from the shadows.
The Skaven battletome features four battle formations that represent the distinct fighting styles of the Clans Skryre, Moulder, Pestilens, and Verminus. Now, the Clans Eshin are getting in on the act with the kill-pack battle formation – simply choose your target, and then, once they’ve been taken care of, get out of there as fast as you can.
KILL-KILL! SCURRY-FLEE
A kill‑pack has one purpose: slay the target. Once this goal has been achieved and the element of surprise lost, the Eshin agents must see to their own survival…
Declare: Pick an enemy HERO to be the target.
Effect: For the rest of the battle, if the target has been destroyed, add 2" to the Move characteristic of friendly ESHIN units.
Even your Verminlord Deceiver will be grateful for an extra two inches of movement. The easiest way to bring down an enemy Hero is with the notorious Deathmaster Crixxit. Legends abound in the Mortal Realms of the targets he’s taken out, and he’s one of the few Skaven assassins to willingly reveal his identity. He wears the infamous Shadowblood Cloak – rumoured to be a gift from Be’lakor – and wields the Blades of Thirteen Cuts. They’re aptly named as, on the tabletop, they have 13 attacks.
DEATHMASTER CRIXXIT
MELEE WEAPONS
The Blades of Thirteen Cuts
Anti-HERO (+1 Rend), Crit (Mortal)
Atk: 13
Hit: 2+
Wnd: 4+
Rnd: 1
Dmg: 1
The weapons carried by Crixxit, the Gutter Runners, and the Night Runners all have the Crit (Mortal) ability, representing their venomous blades. The legendary Deathmaster also has Anti-Hero (+1 Rend), which works incredibly well with his Master of Assassins ability to ensure no Hero is safe.
Crixxit himself is incredibly difficult to pin down – able to slip out of harm’s way thanks to his Shadowblood Cloak.
MASTER OF ASSASSINS
Passive
Crixxit is one of the most feared assassins of the Clans Eshin, if not the realms entire.
Effect: Double the Damage characteristic of this unit’s melee weapons for attacks that target an enemy HERO.
SHADOWBLOOD CLOAK
Any Combat Phase
Crixxit’s cloak grants him the ability to melt into the darkness and instantly strike wherever a pack of his many agents cast their slinking shadows.
Declare: Pick a visible friendly ESHIN unit that has 2 or more models and that is wholly within 18" of this unit to be the target.
Effect: Roll a dice. On a 3+, remove this unit from the battlefield and set it up again wholly within 6" of the target. This unit can be set up in combat.
Of Crixxit’s minions, the Gutter Runners are skilled with punch dagger and blade, making them fearsome close-quarters combatants. They are also experts at the use of rat-borne explosives to disorient foes. Once a Bomb Rat is released, there is no stopping it – even killing the unit of Gutter Runners won’t prevent an explosion of deadly shrapnel or organ-melting toxic gas.
Bomb Rats are a great way to finish off an already weakened unit or for causing damage to a particularly tough target. It’s such a sneaky plan, it’s ideal for the Skaven.
BOMB RATS
Once Per Turn (Army), Any Combat Phase
Bomb Rats skitter amidst the enemy lines, largely unnoticed in the confusion of battle.
Declare: This unit’s Bomb Rats are tokens. If there are fewer than 2 friendly Bomb Rats next to enemy units, pick an enemy unit in combat with this unit that does not have a friendly Bomb Rat next to it to be the target.
Effect: Place this unit’s Bomb Rat next to the target.
DETONATE
End of Any Turn
Many Gutter Runners are experts in the use of improvised explosives, deploying skittering Bomb Rats to rush the enemy and detonate amongst them in a burst of warpstone-fuelled fury.
Declare: This unit can use this ability even if it has been destroyed. Pick each enemy unit that has a friendly Bomb Rat token to be a target.
Effect: Roll a D3 for each enemy unit within a target’s combat range. On a 2+, inflict an amount of mortal damage on that enemy unit equal to the roll. Then, remove the target’s Bomb Rat.
Rounding out the new Clans Eshin reinforcements are the Night Runners. They may be the lowest-ranking Eshin foot soldiers, but they still delight in ganging up on their victims with their envenomed weapons. Their slings and poisoned stars give them attacks at range, and they are capable of ambushing an unwary foe with their Grappling Hooks. While they may not carry the explosives of the Gutter Runners, the Night Runners are equipped with Smoke Bombs, allowing them to attack and then escape under cover.
NIGHT RUNNERS
SMOKE BOMBS
Once Per Turn (Army), Any Combat Phase
The Clans Eshin use smoke bombs to cause confusion and disorientate the enemy.
Declare: If this unit is in combat or charged this turn, this unit can make a pile-in move. Then, if this unit is in combat, you must pick 1 or more enemy units to be the target(s) of this unit’s attacks.
Effect: Resolve combat attacks against the target unit(s). Then, if this unit is in combat, roll a dice. On a 3+, this unit can move a distance up to its Move characteristic. It can pass through the combat ranges of enemy units but can only end that move in combat with units it was in combat with at the start of that move. It does not have to end the move in combat.
KEYWORDS: CORE, ATTACK, FIGHT
Don’t forget, this will get you even further away from danger if you’ve taken out the target you selected as part of your battle formation.
Crixxit, his minions, and, most importantly, the Bomb Rats are all in the Spearhead: City of Ash boxed set, which is available to pre-order on Saturday. They open up some sneaky new tactics for any Clawlord – and you can download their Warhammer Age of Sigmar rules for free, and start thinking about the target of your next assassination, yes-yes!
The Warhammer Age of Sigmar App and the main Battle Profiles download document will be updated in a couple of weeks, but in the meantime you can find the points values below.
(Scroll sideways to see all details)
Publication | Faction | Unit Name | Unit Size | Points | Regiment | Relevant | Notes | Base Size |
Battletome Supplement: Skaven Eshin | Skaven | Deathmaster Crixxit | 1 | 150 | Any Eshin | Unique, Eshin, Infantry | This Hero can join an eligible regiment as a Skaven Overclaw. | 40mm |
Battletome Supplement: Skaven Eshin | Skaven | Gutter Runners | 10 | 160 | Eshin, Infantry | This unit cannot be reinforced. | 32mm [1], 28.5mm [9] | |
Battletome Supplement: Skaven Eshin | Skaven | Night Runners | 10 | 130 | Eshin, Infantry | This unit cannot be reinforced. | 28.5mm [10] |
