| 1 | [[WMG:[[center: [- ''TabletopGame/WarhammerAgeOfSigmar'' '''[[Characters/WarhammerAgeOfSigmar Main Character Index]]'''\ |
| 2 | [[Characters/WarhammerAgeOfSigmarGrandAllianceOrder Grand Alliance of Order]] | '''Grand Alliance of Chaos'''\ |
| 3 | [[Characters/WarhammerAgeOfSigmarGrandAllianceDeath Grand Alliance of Death]] | [[Characters/WarhammerAgeOfSigmarGrandAllianceDestruction Grand Alliance of Destruction]]]]-]]] |
| 4 | |
| 5 | [[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/aos_chaos.png]] |
| 6 | |
| 7 | The Chaos Gods seek to conquer the Mortal Realms, twist them to their every whim, and feed on the souls of their inhabitants. The forces that these Dark Gods use to accomplish this goal are beyond count, and near infinite in form. |
| 8 | |
| 9 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 10 | |
| 11 | [[folder:General]] |
| 12 | !!General Chaos Tropes |
| 13 | * CoolCrown: The eight-pointed Crown of Command is a mark of total devotion to the Dark Gods. The mere sight of a champion wearing this crown fills the followers of Chaos with frenzied bravado. |
| 14 | * DealWithTheDevil: All mortal followers of Chaos are walking the Path of Glory in some manner, trading away their souls for unearthly power. The Gods of Chaos are no saviours, however, and while some may reach their ultimate goal of [[DemonOfHumanOrigin immortality]], the vast majority will lose all they hold dear before dying and having their souls consumed by those they bargained with. |
| 15 | * GodhoodSeeker: The end goal for most, if not all, mortal servants of Chaos is to become a Daemon Prince, a quasi-PhysicalGod with immense physical and magical power after being ascended by one or all of the Chaos gods to wreak havoc on the Mortal Realms for all eternity. Fortunately, the vast majority die (or worse) long before they can even get close to that goal. |
| 16 | * HornAttack: All Ogroids use [[HornedHumanoid their impressive horns]] to gouge and tear at their enemies in close combat. The strength and fury of the Ogroids means that these horns can do far more damage than the ensorcelled weapons used by most Chaos Warriors. |
| 17 | * HornedHumanoid: Ogroids are large, [[OurOgresAreHungrier Ogor]]-like creatures that have impressive horns sprouting from their heads. Ogroid Theridons and Thaumaturges have a wide set of curved horns growing from their temples, Myrmidons sport multiple curved, ram-like horns, and all typically have a smaller pair of horns emerging from their forehead. |
| 18 | * IKnowYourTrueName: Daemonic beings of all types can be controlled by those who know their true names, and most daemons will hide these names by using titles and nicknames. Even if a mortal should discover a daemon's true name, they may not have control for long, however, as daemons will use every ounce of their power and intellect to break free. |
| 19 | * TheLegionsOfHell: The Legion of Chaos Ascendant consists of daemons affiliated with all four Chaos Gods and represent full might of their daemonic hordes unleashed upon reality. The ground twists and the skies burn before the advance of the Legion of Chaos Ascendant. |
| 20 | * LivingWeapon: Daemon Weapons are possessed by the spirit of a bound daemon that is very pissed off by its imprisonment. |
| 21 | |
| 22 | !!The Gaunt Summoners |
| 23 | [[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/gaunt_summoner.png]] |
| 24 | |
| 25 | Powerful daemon-sorcerers of Tzeentch, the Chaos God of magic, who reside in eldritch Silver Towers, the nine Gaunt Summoners attempt to manipulate fate of the Mortal Realms with their plots and magics. Although bound to Archaon through the power of their true names, the Gaunt Summoners often fight alongside daemons hosts of Tzeentch and the forces of the Arcanite cults as they attempt to free themselves from their servitude. |
| 26 | ---- |
| 27 | * TheArchmage: The Gaunt Summoners are some of the greatest sorcerers to serve Tzeentch, the Dark God of magic, and are ranked amongst the most accomplished magic uses in all the Mortal Realms. Capable of casting multiple spells during each turn of the game, these mighty daemon-sorcerers are able to summon daemons with the greatest of ease or burning their enemies to ashes with [[{{Hellfire}} infernal flame]]. |
| 28 | * ForcedTransformation: The warptongue blades wielded by the Gaunt Summoners inflict random and uncontrollable mutations on those they cut, giving them a chance to do multiple [[UnblockableAttack mortal wounds]] against their opponent as their body takes on painful and unnatural forms. |
| 29 | * HellFire: Gaunt Summoners are able to use their Infernal Flames spell to unleash a wave of Chaos-tainted fire to cause [[UnblockableAttack mortal wounds]] against enemy units. |
| 30 | * SummonMagic: Gaunt Summoners can easily call the daemonic minions of the Dark Gods to the battlefield by using their [[TomeOfEldritchLore Books of Profane Secrets]] to subvert the power of a [[PortalDoor Realmgate]] once per battle. |
| 31 | * TomeOfEldritchLore: All Gaunt Summoners carry a Book of Profane Secrets, a mystical tome that is full of the infernal secrets of [[SummonMagic daemon summoning]]. |
| 32 | [[/folder]] |
| 33 | |
| 34 | [[folder:Gods of Chaos]] |
| 35 | !!Khorne, the Lord of Skulls |
| 36 | [[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/khorne_chaos_soulbound_max_fitzgerald_illustration.jpg]] |
| 37 | The incarnation of rage, slaughter and hatred, the Blood God Khorne is the most powerful of the Chaos Gods, his power fed by every drop of blood shed within the Mortal Realms. Utterly merciless Khorne cares for nothing except endless carnage and collecting the skulls of mighty warriors. With the return of the forces of Azyr to the Mortal Realms, the Blood God has a worthy foe for his followers to face once more and is mustering his legions to undertake new campaigns of slaughter. |
| 38 | ---- |
| 39 | * AbsurdlySharpBlade: When imbued with the strength of his wrath, Khorne’s [[CoolSword mighty sword]] is able to cut through reality itself. |
| 40 | * ArcNumber: The sacred number of Khorne is eight, which is revered by his mortal and daemonic followers alike. There are eight ranks of Bloodthirster, the armies of Khorne are ordered into multiples of eight with each Bloodbound Warhorde consisting of eight warbands, while religious rites in the name of the Blood God generally involve eight sacrifices. |
| 41 | * ArchEnemy: |
| 42 | ** Of all his brother gods, Khorne hates Slaanesh the most. The Dark Prince is the total opposite of the Blood God in all things representing decadence, pleasure and self-indulgence rather than strength, martial ability, honor, duty, justice and rage. |
| 43 | ** As the god of bloodshed with a hatred of magic the [[LizardFolk seraphon]], [[PureMagicBeing creatures of magic given form]] that do not bleed, infuriate Khorne more than any other creature of Order. |
| 44 | * BloodKnight: Khorne is the personification of violence and warfare and as such he and his followers live to fight and shed blood. While all violence falls within the Blood Gods sphere of influence, battles against particularly worthy opponents are the most sought after and, win or lost, give great glory to Khorne. |
| 45 | * BloodLust: Khorne is also known as Blood God and is strengthened by the very act of shedding blood. The Lord of Skulls demands that his followers spill blood in his name every day and those that fail in this task earn Khorne's immortal wrath. Even the blood of his own worshipers is welcome for Khorne cares not from whence the blood flows, only that it flows. |
| 46 | * DoesNotLikeMagic: Khorne holds an intense dislike for magic as it encourages subtlety and years of study instead of martial power and facing your foes personally on the battlefield. In addition to this, while Khorne encourages his followers to revel in the shedding of blood, magic allows its users to destroy their enemies without bloodshed. |
| 47 | * ForeverWar: Khorne's ultimate goal is to create eternal conflict across the Mortal Realms, drowning them in oceans of blood. |
| 48 | * GeniusBruiser: Despite having a reputation as a [[TheBerserker blood mad berserker]], Khorne is still the physical embodiment of war itself and no mortal, god or daemon can match his understanding of tactics or his military expertise. |
| 49 | * {{Mordor}}: Khorne's domain within the Realm of Chaos is a wasteland of industry and rocky plains, studded with countless fighting pits and ringed with jagged volcanos that erupt in sympathy with the Blood Gods rage. The blood-stained landscape is constantly trampled by legions of Khorne’s daemons as they fight each other in unending war. |
| 50 | * NamedWeapon: Khorne's ornate blade is known by many names; such as ''Ender of Worlds'' and ''Allslaughter''. |
| 51 | * NonHumanHead: Although as a god he can appear in any form, Khorne's followers generally depict him as a heavily muscled humanoid in full armour with the head of a mighty hound. |
| 52 | * NothingButSkulls: Khorne is the Lord of Skulls and as such the skull is an omnipresent symbol of the Chaos God. Skulls fill Khorne's fortress that lies in the centre of his realm, impaled on its battlements, hanging from chains and, most famously, form the ever-growing mountain that his throne rests upon. Even Khorne's personal rune takes the form of a stylised stull. |
| 53 | * RedIsViolent: As the colour of fresh blood, red stand alongside brass and bone as one of the favoured colours of the Blood God, and it is rare for his followers not to include it in their colour schemes. |
| 54 | * WarGod: Khorne is the god of war, hatred and bloodshed, his power growing as conflict spreads across the Realms. |
| 55 | |
| 56 | !!Nurgle, the Father of Plagues |
| 57 | [[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bc07_nurgle.png]] |
| 58 | The god of disease, decay, rot, morbitity, and death. While not as cunning as Tzeentch or mighty as Khorne, he nonetheless posesses great power as the patron of the decay that befalls all things. Nurgle is particulary interested in the Ghyran, the Realm of Life, who seeks to claim this whole realm for himself. |
| 59 | ---- |
| 60 | * ArchEnemy: Tzeentch, as the patron of change, stands as the antithesis of Nurgle and all he stands for. While Nurgle represents the acceptance of stagnation and all it entails, Tzeentch represents hope for change and scheming. The two regularly send their forces to fight one another, only collaborating in the name of Chaos itself. |
| 61 | * BeneficialDisease: Followers of the Plague God are rarely killed by the plagues, instead being kept alive to carry the plague longer. |
| 62 | * DespairEventHorizon: A concept Grandfather Nurgle feeds off. |
| 63 | * FatBastard: Though it's less fat and more diseased bloat. |
| 64 | * {{Plaguemaster}}: The god of plage to begin with. Nurgle seeks to envelop all creation in his diseases, fascinated by their effects. |
| 65 | |
| 66 | !!Tzeentch, the Great Conspirator |
| 67 | [[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/almightytzeentch.png]] |
| 68 | The god of magic, change and deceit. Tzeentch is far more subtle than his brothers, favouring subtle plots over brute strength. Tzeentch delighted in the return of Sigmar’s forces to the Mortal Realms as they have introduced new challenges and opportunities for manipulation to the Great Game that the Architect of Fate plays against the other Gods of Chaos. |
| 69 | ---- |
| 70 | * ArchEnemy: Nurgle, the Lord of Plagues is the absolute antithesis of Tzeentch and the Grand Conspirator considers the Plague God to be his greatest enemy amongst his brothers. The two gods are absolutely opposed to each other with Tzeentch representing the hope for change and intricate plans whereas Nurgle represents the acceptance of despair, the cycle of life and steady, remorseless attrition. While the two gods will fight side by side when their causes align (or when Tzeentch feels he is able to manipulate his brother to his own benefit), the two never miss an opportunity to send their forces against each other and relish their victories against the other far more than against any other foe. |
| 71 | * TheArchmage: By virtue of being the god of magic, Tzeentch serves as this. |
| 72 | * BodyHorror: As the Chaos God of Mutation and Change, Tzeentch is the most liberal of his brother gods when it comes to granting his followers physical mutations, resulting in some truly horrific and twisted biological forms. |
| 73 | * TheChessmaster: Tzeentch is the god of Chessmasters and there is nothing in the Mortal Realms that he will not manipulate to further his own ends. |
| 74 | * ComplexityAddiction: As the god of plots, manipulation and cunning Tzeentch delights in byzantine schemes that often appear nonsensical or contradictory to those who uncover them. Tzeentch’s fickle nature also leads to him introducing needless levels of complexity and obstacles to make his plans more interesting. |
| 75 | * EldritchAbomination: Tzeentch will often take on truly horrifying physical forms that will [[GoMadFromTheRevelation drive mortals to the depths of insanity with the merest glance ]]. |
| 76 | * MobileMaze: Tzeentch rules over the Crystal Labyrinth, the second largest domain within the Realm of Chaos that appears as an endlessly shifting maze full of traps and daemons. At its centre sits the Impossible Fortress, a huge structure not bound by the laws of physics, geometry or sanity. Windows and doors constantly appear and disappear on its surface, and interior rooms and passages keep constantly changing. Even gravity changes in strength and direction at random. |
| 77 | * PlayingWithFire: The magic conjured by Tzeentch, his daemons and his followers commonly takes the form of dazzling, [[TechnicolorFire multi-coloured flames]] that can burn the very soul of the victim, mutate them beyond all recognition, or anything in between. |
| 78 | * TooManyMouths: Tzeentch’s “true” form is covered in mouths, each of which repeats what the Changer of the Ways says with subtle changes in meaning or with mocking commentary. |
| 79 | * TryToFitThatOnABusinessCard: Tzeentch has more titles than his brother gods including, the Architect of Fate, the Changer of the Ways, the Great Conspirator, the Great Mutator, the Great Schemer, the Master of Fortune and the Trickster Supreme. |
| 80 | * XanatosGambit: The god of planning and cunning, Tzeentch has many plots and gambits running concurrently. When the plot itself is the payoff, any of Tzeentch's schemes become this by default. The question is only which one of his pawns reaps their payoff. |
| 81 | |
| 82 | !!Slaanesh |
| 83 | [[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/slaaneshs_prison_sundered.png]] |
| 84 | The Chaos God of excess and pleasure, Slaanesh is the youngest and most beautiful of the Dark Gods. During the Age of Myth, Slaanesh's thirst for aelven souls led to the Dark Prince being captured by the aelven gods and imprisoned within the sub-realm of Uhl-Gysh. |
| 85 | ---- |
| 86 | * TheHedonist: The god of hedonists, in fact. |
| 87 | * LeakingCanOfEvil: He constantly seeks out cracks in his prison to give orders to and recruit cultists. |
| 88 | * SealedEvilInACan: Slaanesh has been captured and imprisoned by the Aelves - with a rather large amount of help from Tzeentch - in the border world between Ulgu and Hysh. |
| 89 | * TooKinkyToTorture: Why they are still sane (to the extent a Chaos God can be described as such); the chains the Aelves bound him with are ''agonizing'', which means he has a steady diet of sensation to keep his mind sated. |
| 90 | |
| 91 | !! The Great Horned Rat |
| 92 | [[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/1200px_horned_rat_01.jpg]] |
| 93 | The deity of the Skaven, the Great Horned Rat ascended to the Dark Pantheon after the destruction of the world-that-was. While the other Dark Powers do not consider him to be their equal, he has numerous schemes to ensure he is the ruler of all Chaos. |
| 94 | ---- |
| 95 | * AllYourPowersCombined: Part of the reason why he is so hated by the other Chaos Gods us that he is the worst of each of them with none of their (somewhat) redeeming qualities - He is Khorne (hatred and war) without honor, he is Tzeentch (sorcery and deceit) without hope, he is Slaanesh (excess and depravity) without joy, and he is Nurgle (plague and decay) without rebirth. |
| 96 | * AscendedToAHigherPlaneOfExistence: While he was already a god, after Slaanesh's disappearance he was upgraded as the new Fourth Chaos God (at least in part over pestilence), filling out the empty space left by the Dark Prince. |
| 97 | * EthnicGod: The Great Horned Rat is the patron deity of the Skaven and is worshipped by no one else. |
| 98 | * TheFriendNobodyLikes: While the Gods of Chaos were not exactly fond of each other to begin with, they all equally hold him in contempt as venomous upstart. |
| 99 | * SplitPersonality: Why the Skaven aren't any more organized than in the World-That-Was; he has many aspects, all of them just as paranoid and treacherous, that scheme against each other. Two completely opposed factions can be following the will of the Horned Rat to utterly annhilate their rivals, and not be wrong. |
| 100 | [[/folder]] |
| 101 | |
| 102 | !Slaves to Darkness |
| 103 | [[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/slaves_to_darkness_1.jpg]] |
| 104 | [[caption-width-right:300:Champions of Ruin]] |
| 105 | |
| 106 | Despite the resurgence of Order since the dawning of the Age of Sigmar, the worshippers of the Dark Gods make up the majority of the human population outside of the Celestial Realm of Azyr. Whether they are barbarian tribes, corrupted warrior orders, cabals of sorcerers or members of any number of obscure cults, these mortals are known collectively as the Slaves to Darkness and pay homage to the Chaos Gods. Whatever their origins, all the Slaves to Darkness seek power, glory and ultimately immortality as a mighty Daemon Prince, but most find nothing but death and damnation. They serve as (more or less) the ''Age of Sigmar'' counterpart to the Warriors of Chaos of ''Warhammer Fantasy''. |
| 107 | |
| 108 | While the followers of Chaos don't follow any formal organisational structure, the hordes of the Slaves to Darkness can be split into three main categories: the near endless roaming hordes of Ravagers; the sinister, magic dominated Cabalists; and the monstrous Despoilers that gather around infernal Daemon Princes. Only Archaon the Everchosen can bring all the disparate worshippers of the Dark Gods together. When they march to war, the Mortal Realms tremble. |
| 109 | ---- |
| 110 | [[folder:General Tropes]] |
| 111 | * AntiMagic: Ravager Artefacts of Power, the Desecrator Gauntlets are wreathed in balefire that disrupts and destroys arcane energy, making it more difficult for Wizards to cast spells in their presence. |
| 112 | * ArtificialLimbs: The sadistic Unmade flay their own flesh and hack off limbs to replace them with wicked weapons. As an Unmade rises from the ranks of the Awakened to the Ascended, the Joyous and finally the Blissful Ones, they cast off more and more of their humanity. The Blissful Ones walk on bladed stilts and lash out with sickles that have replaced their arms. |
| 113 | * AttackAnimal: The cultists of the Untamed Beasts train vicious horned felines known as Rocktusk Prowlers to accompany them into battle, using them to run down their prey. |
| 114 | * BadassCape: Despite having the appearance of a ragged cape, the Cloak of the Relentless Conqueror is a magical artefact of the Ravager hordes that contains countless minor daemons. When worn, these daemons energise the wearer, continuously driving him into combat. |
| 115 | * BadWithTheBone: The shamanistic hunters of the Untamed Beasts craft their Hunting Weapons from the bones of the creatures they have slain, only employing metal when it can be scavenged from defeated enemies. Despite the materials used in their creation, the axes, harpoons and daggers of the Untamed Beasts are just as effective as metal weapons. |
| 116 | * BarbarianTribe: The Marauder tribes that make up the vast majority of Slaves to Darkness living in the Mortal Realms consist of countless barbaric warriors who worship the Chaos Gods. Lead by brutal chieftains, the savage and wild Marauders live to fight, marching across the Realms to cast down the works of Order, and spread carnage in the name of their profane gods. Physically, Marauders resemble traditional barbarians, with heavily muscled bodies, wild hair and beards, and a ferocious temperament. In battle, these barbaric warriors wear little in the way of armour, wield typically brutal axes and swords, and charge at their foes with unrestrained battle-lust. |
| 117 | * BeastOfBattle: |
| 118 | ** The Tarantulos Brood is always accompanied by spider swarms, which act in unison with their bipedal allies, swarming and overwhelming foes. |
| 119 | ** Rocktusk Prowlers are fierce predators bound into service by the Beastspeakers of the Untamed Beasts. |
| 120 | * TheBlacksmith: Originally hailing from Chamon, the Realm of Metal, the cultists known as the Iron Golems are skilled smiths and craftsmen who believe that it as their sacred duty to produce weapons and armour for the armies of the Three-Eyed King. |
| 121 | * BladeBelowTheShoulder: Some of the Chaos Lords that ride Manticores go into battle wearing a Daggerfist, an armoured gauntlet that incorporates a light, but sharp, blade. |
| 122 | * BoulderBludgeon: After being reduced to near mindless destroyers by [[EvilOverlord Archaon's]] curse, the most common ranged attack used by [[{{Cyclops}} Fomoroid Crushers]] is to throw chunks of shattered masonry and large boulders at their enemies. Known as Hurled Terrain on their stat line, this attack is the most powerful non-magical ranged attack in the Slaves to Darkness army. |
| 123 | * BrutishCharacterBrutishWeapon: |
| 124 | ** Many Chaos followers favour various kinds of axes for their brutality and simplicity, from the basic Barbarian Axes wielded by the fierce Chaos Marauders to the mighty [[SoulCuttingBlade Soul-splitter]] axes wielded by the Chosen that can cleave an opponent in two with a single blow. |
| 125 | ** The Horns of Hashut seek to embody their god's ideals: every challenge must be met with brutal, overwhelming violence and firepower. Appropriately, they prefer blunt weapons, which they swing full-force at foes. |
| 126 | * CarnivorousHealingFactor: The cannibalistic warriors of the Seventh Circle of the Varanguard believe that they can gain the strength of their defeated opponents by eating their flesh. Whether this is true or not is unknown but their wounds do heal far quicker when they eat their foes' flesh and their in-game rules allow them to heal lost wounds after destroying an enemy unit as they stop to feed on the fallen. |
| 127 | * ChainmailBikini: In keeping with the classic female barbarian warrior image, the armour worn by Darkoath Warqueens do not protect their legs, arms or bellies, so that they can better display the scars they have acquired over a lifetime of service to the Dark Gods. |
| 128 | * ChariotPulledByCats: Some Chaos Chariots are pulled by mysterious monsters known as Gorebeasts. Resembling a [[MixAndMatchCritter mixture of ape and lizard]], Gorebeasts are incredibly dangerous beasts that only the mightiest charioteers are able to subdue long enough to hitch to a chariot, but can unleash substantial damage upon enemies that meet their charge. |
| 129 | * CombatClairvoyance: Sorcerer Lords have the ability to grant nearby allies a limited form of foresight. Known as Oracular Visions, this ability allows a unit to protect themselves from enemy attacks, and gives them a re-roll to their save rolls. |
| 130 | * CoolSword: The Ravager Trophy of Conquest known as the Hellfire Sword was forged from a flame given physical form. The arcane weapon still retains the power of its original searing form and can [[FireBreathingWeapon unleash it]] at its wielder's command. |
| 131 | * CounterAttack: A Daggerfist allows the wielder to quickly take advantage of a foe that has overreached themselves, giving them a chance to cause a [[UnblockableAttack mortal wound]] against foes whose attacks have been stopped by their armour. |
| 132 | * CounterSpell: The arcane Scroll of Dark Unravelling, available to Cabalist Heroes, contains a profane incantation that, when read at the right time, will instantly calm arcane energies, allowing the bearer to automatically stop an opposing Wizard from casting a spell. |
| 133 | * CrownOfHorns: Darkoath Warqueens wear an ornate crown that incorporates two pairs of horns that resemble those of a [[BeastMan Brayherd Beastlord]]. This crown is a symbol of the favour of the Dark Gods and the Warqueen's mastery over the hordes of the Slaves to Darkness. |
| 134 | * {{Cyborg}}: The timeline section of 2019's ''Chaos Battletome: Slaves to Darkness'' mentions a horde of barbarians with mechanical grafts following the Soulgrinder they worship as a god into battle against the kingdom of Prosperia in the Realm of Metal. |
| 135 | * {{Cyclops}}: As a mixture of the Fomorians of [[Myth/CelticMythology Irish myth]][[note]]who had a single eye in some depictions[[/note]] and the cyclopes of Myth/ClassicalMythology, the massive Fomoroid Crushers have a single eye situated in the centre of their monstrous face. Also, like the Classical cyclopes, the fomoroids were great craftsmen and masons before being enslaved. |
| 136 | * DashAttack: Chaos Chariots use their SpikedWheels and sheer bulk to cause massive damage as they collide with an enemy unit, their Swift Death ability giving them a chance to inflict multiple [[UnblockableAttack mortal wounds]] on their foe. |
| 137 | * DemonOfHumanOrigin: The ultimate goal of almost all followers of Chaos is to discard their mortal life and become an immortal Daemon Prince of one of the Dark Powers. It is extremely rare for a champion to be granted such power but those that do are worshipped as demigods by the Slaves to Darkness, and lead Despoiler warbands of monsters and elite warriors across the realms, corrupting everything in their path. |
| 138 | * EnemySummoner: The Broodmaster's Creeping Summons ability allows him to bring back to life destroyed Spider Swarms in both ''Warcry'' and ''Age of Sigmar''. |
| 139 | * EvilWeapon: The weapons wielded by Chaos Lords and some of the most elite Slaves to Darkness troops such as the Varanguard of the Everchosen typically have the souls of [[SealedEvilInACan daemons bound within them]], enhancing the weapon's power as the daemon within attempts to consume the souls of those it strikes. |
| 140 | * {{Familiar}}: Chaos Familiars, Artefacts of Power available to Cabalist Heroes, are small daemonic creatures that memorise spells for their master, giving a Chaos Sorcerer access to an additional spell during a battle. |
| 141 | * FanaticalFire: The Scions of the Flame are zealots and firebrands who worship Choas as the Ever-Raging Flame, an evil embodiment of the Realm of Fire, and seek to engulf the realms in a cleansing inferno. |
| 142 | * FeatheredFiend: The vicious Raptoryx are large birds of prey mutated into man-sized, multi-eyed, spiked creatures. Flocks of these predators now hunt their prey across the twisted landscape of the Eightpoints and spread through its Realmgates to the other Mortal Realms. |
| 143 | * FireBreathingWeapon: The Hellfire Sword, an Artefact of Power usable by Heroes of the Ravager hordes, is able to unleash a wave of daemonic fire at the wielder's enemies, doing multiple [[UnblockableAttack mortal wounds]]. |
| 144 | * GlorySeeker: Exalted Heroes of Chaos only care about gaining glory by slaying the most powerful enemies they can find and have abilities that boost their combat prowess when they face a prestigious foe such as a Hero or Monster. |
| 145 | * GodSaveUsFromTheQueen: The Darkoath Warqueens are greatest of all Chaos Marauders who have committed countless atrocities to reach their position. Blessed by the Dark Gods of Chaos, these powerful warrior-women are able to bind together the disparate barbaric Marauder tribes into a great horde and lead them into battle. |
| 146 | * HadToBeSharp: As members of a barbaric society that respects strength and worships profane gods, members of Marauder tribes have to be capable warriors in order to survive into adulthood. |
| 147 | * HavingABlast: The Cursed Warhammers wielded by Chaos Lords on Daemonic Mounts unleash an explosion of dark energy when they hit their target, giving them a chance to do [[UnblockableAttack mortal wounds]] against the foe. |
| 148 | * HellishHorse: The equine beasts ridden by Chaos Knights are infused with the power of Chaos and usually possess a dark coat, a muscular body and breath as hot as a forge. These mounts are also often depicted with vicious red eyes and are said to possess a violent temperament that makes them every bit as dangerous as their riders. |
| 149 | * HeroicVow: Villainous version. Darkoath Warqueens and Chieftains are called that for how they regularly make promises to the Dark Gods - and nearly always fulfill them, leading to the Chaos Gods filling them with blessings of Chaos Undivided. |
| 150 | * HitAndRunTactics: Marauder Horsemen are renowned for their speed and manoeuvrability on the battlefield, charging towards their foes to unleash volleys of javelins, or murderous close combat attacks before quickly retreating so that they can attack again, their Feigned Flight ability allowing them to shoot and charge in the same turn that they retreat from combat. |
| 151 | * TheHorde: The barbaric Marauders who make up the majority of human Chaos worshippers in the realms typically live in tribal communities ruled by a powerful shaman or chieftain. While each tribe has its own customs and culture, all Marauders respect strength above all things and should a particularly powerful [[EvilOverlord Godsworn Overlord]] arise, many tribes will join together under their leadership to lay waste to all that oppose them in the name of the Chaos Gods. |
| 152 | * HorseOfADifferentColor: Some Chaos Lords ride into battle atop Karkadraks[[note]]introduced in 2nd Edition[[/note]], large and brutish reptilian beasts with an armour piercing horn atop its snout. While they are slower than the mounts ridden by Chaos Knights, Karkadraks are more powerful than even the largest warhorse, and once they build up momentum, they are all but unstoppable. |
| 153 | * HumanSacrifice: Wizards from Cabalist hordes often willingly sacrifice the lives of their followers to the Dark Gods during a battle in exchange for greater arcane power to cast spells and take control over wild Endless Spells. |
| 154 | * JavelinThrower: |
| 155 | ** The most common non-magical missile weapons seen in Slaves to Darkness armies are the javelins used by some Chaos Marauder Horsemen, who harry their opponents at close range before charging forward to wield them as spears in close combat. |
| 156 | ** The javelins of the First Fangs, the keenest eyes of the Untamed Beasts, can bring down even the mightiest predators. |
| 157 | * JoustingLance: A charging Chaos Knight is capable of spitting multiple foes at once with the point of their lances. |
| 158 | * LightIsNotGood: Behind their sun-ray masks, supposedly fashioned in honour of the brilliance that glows across their home in Xintil, the Cypher Lords are as evil as any Chaos Marauder. |
| 159 | * MaskOfPower: The hashutaar, a bull-horned war mask worn by elite Horns of Hashut, is infused with sorcery that grants the wearer supernatural strength and endurance. |
| 160 | * MightyGlacier: While they hit just as hard as the other Slaves to Darkness Cultist units, the Iron Golems' heavy armour gives them a low Move value and a better Save characteristic. Their Iron Resilience ability also makes them even more survivable. |
| 161 | * MultiArmedAndDangerous: The Centaurion Marshal wields an exotic range of weapons (an ensnaring net, a spear, a cudgel and a gladius), one in each muscular arm. |
| 162 | * OurManticoresAreSpinier: Ferocious and highly territorial creatures, Manticores are lion-like monstrosities that have been twisted by the powers of Chaos. While they can take many forms, the most common is that of a massive beast with ragged, bat-like wings and a spiked tail. Worshipped as avatars of Chaos by some Beastmen, many Chaos Lords and Sorcerer Lords attempt to tame these vicious creatures so that they can use them as mounts but only the greatest survive the attempt. |
| 163 | * OurSphinxesAreDifferent: Mindstealer Sphiranxes are Chaos creatures resembling long-armed felines with a third eye in the middle of their foreheads and a large pair of horns on their heads. They were once an order of mystics who served Teclis, one of the twin aelven gods of Hysh, but made a pact with [[DealWithTheDevil Tzeentch, the dark god of magic]], in order to have direct access to arcane power; Tzeentch gave them their third eyes and the ability to pluck knowledge from the minds of their victims, at the cost of losing all other connections to sorcery. The rush of new knowledge drove them quite mad, and modern-day Sphiranxes revel in seizing vital knowledge from the minds of their foes before killing them. |
| 164 | * PoisonedWeapons: |
| 165 | ** Slaves to Darkness Heroes dedicated to the Plague God have their melee weapons and those of their allies, blessed by with deadly toxins that give them a chance to deal more damage during a game. |
| 166 | ** When the Shrinemaster of a Chaos Warshrine calls upon the Favour of Nurgle, the god of disease will bless the blades of a nearby unit with foul contagion that makes them more likely to wound their enemies. |
| 167 | ** To imitate the serpentine daemons they worship, the Cultists of the Splintered Fang coat their blades with lethal poisons that give them a chance to deal [[UnblockableAttack mortal wounds]] with each attack. |
| 168 | * PyroManiac: The Scions of the Flame are zealots who worship Chaos as the Ever-Raging Flame, and bring their blazing wrath on all they deem their enemies. |
| 169 | * SeeingThroughAnothersEyes: Mystic thrallstones marked with the rune of Nochseed allow Thrallmasters and Luminates to see what their Mindbound slaves. |
| 170 | * SlaveLiberation: During the Age of Myth, the fomoroids were the slave-builders for one of the original civilisations of the [[PortalCrossroadWorld Allpoints]] until they rebelled and slew their masters. Their freedom didn’t last long and the Age of Chaos saw the formoroids enslaved once again, but in the depths of their rage-cursed minds they still dream of liberation. |
| 171 | * SlaveRace: The fomoroids were originally a race of slave-builders for one of the civilisations of the Allpoints until they rebelled and [[SlaveLiberation overthrew their masters]]. Unfortunately, their freedom didn’t last long as when the forces of Chaos invaded the Allpoints, Archaon enslaved the fomoroids once again, cursing their entire race so that they became mindless destroyers fit only to fight as slave-warriors in the armies of the Everchosen and the fighting pits of the Varanspire. |
| 172 | * SoulCuttingBlade: The great, two-handed axes wielded by Chaos Chosen hold a powerful curse that allows them to cut the soul from an enemy's body, giving them a chance to cause [[UnblockableAttack mortal wounds]] in addition to their normal damage. |
| 173 | * SpiderPeople: The Tarantulos Brood use the blood of tainted arachnids and transmutative reagents to mutate themselves and take the sacred form of the spider. |
| 174 | * SprintShoes: Chaos Chariots can use the Don't Spare the Lash ability to increase their speed when on the attack, becoming able to both run and charge in the same turn, as their drivers brutally encourage their draught beasts with their lashing whips. |
| 175 | * SupernaturalFearInducer: Crafted from burnt bone, the magical Helm of the Oppressor, which can be worn a Ravager Hero, is surrounded by an aura of dark dread that reduces the [[MoraleMechanic Bravery characteristic]] of enemy units. |
| 176 | * TakingYouWithMe: Darkoath Chieftains encourage their followers to fight on, even as they are hacked down by their enemies blades, their Last Gasp of Glory Command Ability allowing Marauders and Cultists that were killed before they could fight to make their melee attacks before being removed as casualties. |
| 177 | * TentacleRope: The Binding Damnation spell, from the Lore of the Damned, summons tendrils of Chaotic power that briefly bind the caster's enemies, forcing the affected unit to fight last in the combat phase. |
| 178 | * ThrowDownTheBomblet: The Horns of Hashut are supplied by duardin-made high-explosive grenades that shred foes with shrapnel and ash bombs that fill the air with embers. |
| 179 | * TokenEvilTeammate: The Darkoath Chieftain is the only Chaos-aligned member of the otherwise Order-aligned default party in the GaidenGame ''Warhammer Quest: Silver Tower'', combining the roles of the Chaos Warrior and {{Barbarian|Hero}} from the original ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'' edition of the game. |
| 180 | * TrickBomb: The Thrallmasters of the Cypher Lords carry globes filled with an alchemical substance known as shimmersmoke. When the globe is shattered, it shrouds the Cypher Lords in choking smog that debilitates the enemy, making it harder for them to hit the devious cultists. |
| 181 | * UseYourHead: The Horns of Hashut's hashutaar horned helms provide them with uncanny strength. When they lower their heads on the charge, they can smash through stone walls. |
| 182 | * WreathedInFlames: Some Ravager Warlords are blessed with a covering of chaotic fire that burns their foes while leaving their own skin untouched. The Flames of Spite Command Trait gives them a chance to cause a [[UnblockableAttack mortal wound]] on those the general is fighting. |
| 183 | |
| 184 | !!The Varanguard |
| 185 | [[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/varanguard_4.png]] |
| 186 | |
| 187 | Answering only to Archaon himself, the eight Circles of the Varanguard act as the Everchosen's heralds, enforcers, and elite shock troops. Also known as the Knights of Ruin, the Varanguard are some of consist of some of the greatest mortal warriors of Chaos, and although any one of these mighty warriors could have easily risen to command their own warband they have all chosen to dedicate themselves, body and soul, to the Exalted Grand Marshal of the Apocalypse. |
| 188 | ---- |
| 189 | * AntiMagic: All Varanguard carry a great Warpsteel Shield that can offer them immunity from any magic that would affect them, although these spells will still affect other units as normal. |
| 190 | * BlackKnight: As the chosen elite of the Grand Marshal of the Apocalypse, the Varanguard are a feared corps of powerful knights who traditionally colour their plate armour black, with bronze trim, in imitation of warband that Archaon lead when he was a mortal on the world-that-was. |
| 191 | * BossInMookClothing: The Varanguard, despite being rank-and-file Battleline units in a Host of the Everchosen army, have a profile equivalent to an average melee hero's. Their mounts are almost as good in melee as a daemonic Juggernaut of [[WarGod Khorne]], while being much faster. In a Knights of the Empty Throne army[[note]]from the ''Soul Wars: Wrath of the Everchosen'' [[{{Sourcebook}} campaign book]][[/note]], if Archaon is not present, a Varanguard can serve as its general (in 2nd Edition, they instead get the Hero keyword, allowing them to take command traits and Artefacts of Power). |
| 192 | * EliteArmy: The Varanguard are the chosen elite of Archaon himself and each is a Chaos warlord in his own right, comparable to the melee heroes of the other factions. In Archaon's personal Host of the Everchosen army, units of these mighty warriors serve as Battleline units[[note]]basic soldiers[[/note]]. |
| 193 | * HellishHorse: All members of the Varanguard ride fell Steeds of Chaos, hideously mutated equine beasts that typically possess multiple eyes, fang-filled maws and have vicious horns sprouting from their heads. |
| 194 | * HyperactiveMetabolism: The Bane Sons heal lost wounds after destroying an enemy unit as they stop to feed on the fallen. |
| 195 | * ImAHumanitarian: The cannibalistic warriors of the Seventh Circle of the Varanguard believe that they can gain the strength of their defeated opponents by eating their flesh. Whether this is true or not is unknown but their wounds do heal far quicker when they do so. |
| 196 | * SupernaturalFearInducer: The Varanguard of the Second Circle are surrounded by an aura of despair that causes their enemies to lose all hope so that more of them flee when they fail a battleshock test than would normally be the case. |
| 197 | [[/folder]] |
| 198 | |
| 199 | [[folder:Characters]] |
| 200 | !!Archaon the Everchosen, [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Exalted Grand Marshall of the Apocalypse]] |
| 201 | [[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/archaon_aos_0.png]] |
| 202 | [[caption-width-right:300:Not even the End Times can stop the work of the Everchosen.]] |
| 203 | |
| 204 | The greatest Chaos Lord in existence, Archaon has been granted dark blessing of each of the Chaos Gods. Worshipped as a demigod by his followers it was Archaon that led the final Chaos invasion of [[TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}} the world-that-was]] and he now leads the forces of Chaos in the conquest of the Mortal Realms and he will not stop until his armies stand victorious over the broken corpses of all those who oppose him. |
| 205 | ---- |
| 206 | * BigBad: |
| 207 | ** In the setting's backstory, Archaon was the mastermind and leader the Chaos invasion that saw the destruction of the rule of Order, ended the Age of Myth and began the Age of Chaos, personally duelling with the [[BigGood God-King Sigmar]] and at the Battle of Burning Skies. |
| 208 | ** As the EvilOverlord of the mortal forces of Chaos, Archaon was the ultimate antagonist of the Realmgate Wars with the forces of Order trying to break the hold of the Dark Powers and take the strategically important PortalCrossroadWorld of the Eightpoints from Archaon's personal forces. |
| 209 | * CannibalismSuperpower: Dorghar is able to manifest the strength and powers of those it consumes. The most obvious expression of this ability is the Steed of the Apocalypse's three heads, each of which has the form and abilities of the powerful greater daemons that it has consumed. The 1st Edition rules for Dorghar went further, granting Archaon access to the spells known by any Wizard that the beast's Tzeentchian head consumed. |
| 210 | * DragonWithAnAgenda: As stated in the related battletomes, Archaon fulfills Chaos's goals and uses their resources, but is not truly working for the Chaos Gods; he disobeys them when convenient and many of his troops are personally sworn to him rather than them. The [[https://www.warhammer-community.com/2018/06/20/19th-june-the-top-8-skulls-khorne-wishes-he-could-add-to-the-skull-thronegw-homepage-post-4fw-homepage-post-4/ official website]] states that Archaon plans to kill the Chaos Gods after he's done with Order's pantheon. |
| 211 | * TheDreaded: The Slaves of Darkness battletome states that he's even feared by the Chaos Gods themselves - and that they're ''right'' to fear him. |
| 212 | * FlamingSword: Archaon wields the [[NamedWeapon Slayer of Kings]], one of the mightiest daemon weapons in existence. The artwork and background material typically depicts the blade of this mighty sword aflame with the infernal power of the [[EvilWeapon daemon sealed within it]][[note]]Archaon's tabletop model usually depicts the Slayer of Kings as having a HotBlade instead[[/note]]. |
| 213 | * FuryFueledFoolishness: He inadvertently lets it slip that he intends to kill the Chaos Gods while in a homicidal fury about the failure of several of his plans culminating in the total annihilation of a major Chaos fortress. |
| 214 | * HybridMonster: Dorghar, which used to resemble a HellishHorse, has grown massive on the souls it has consumed, becoming a massive chimeric dragon-like creature with the [[CannibalismSuperpower heads and powers]] of the mighty Greater Daemons sent to test its master. |
| 215 | %%* ItsPersonal: He has a personal grudge against Sigmar which dates back to the End Times, and he has full intention of make him pay.%%Details required |
| 216 | * LargeAndInCharge: Archaon is not just the ultimate battlefield commander of the forces of Chaos but he is also a towering and imposing figure, larger than Sigmar's divinely enhanced Stormcast Eternals. The model of Archaon mounted on Dorghar, the Steed of the Apocalypse, is one of the largest kits in the range. |
| 217 | * LegendFadesToMyth: As with much of the history of the [[TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}} world-that-was]], Archaon's origins have been obscured by time, myth and rumour. The Everchosen's true past as a former Sigmarite templar who [[FaceHeelTurn turned to Chaos]] is but one of the [[MultipleChoicePast many]] theories that his followers believe with some claiming he was created by the Dark Gods as Sigmar's EvilCounterpart dark shadow, while others say that he was the true ruler of Azyr that the God-King usurped. |
| 218 | * MagicEater: Dorghar's Tzeentchian head has the ability to consume magical energy. In 2nd Edition, it can eat and dispel any endless spell nearby. |
| 219 | * MagicKnight: Blessed by both the WarGod Khorne and Tzeetch, the god of magic, Archaon is both a mighty warrior capable of standing against godlike beings in close combat, and a sorcerer with enough magical power to cast as many spells as his enslaved [[TheArchmage Gaunt Summoners]]. |
| 220 | * MultipleHeadCase: After devouring the greater daemons sent to test Archaon, Dorghar gained three heads, each with the form and powers of one of these servants of the Dark Gods. |
| 221 | * SayingTooMuch: After leading his Varanguard on a near-suicidal run straight into the teeth of a Bonereaper host, causing heavy casualties, in an attempt to save a major Chaos fortress, Archaon arrived to find that Kragnos and the Orruks [[YouAreTooLate had already completely destroyed it]]. In his blind fury, he hacked apart three of his own Varanguard and let slip that he intends to kill ''all'' gods - Chaos included. This led the majority of the Eighth Circle to defect to Be'lakor. |
| 222 | * SoulEating: Archaon's [[EvilWeapon daemon sword]] Slayer of Kings [[HungryWeapon continuously hungers]] for the souls of mighty warriors and, under certain conditions, is able to kill an enemy outright during a game as it consumes their essence. |
| 223 | * SpikesOfVillainy: Now that he has become a demigod of Chaos, Archaon's armour and mount are depicted as having far more spikes and spines than when he was merely a mighty warlord on [[TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}} the world-that-was]]. |
| 224 | * SuperSpit: The head Dorghar gained from eating a powerful Great Unclean One is able to vomit highly corrosive digestive juices over its enemies, doing multiple [[UnblockableAttack mortal wounds]]. |
| 225 | * SupervillainLair: While he is rarely there, Archaon's personal fastness is the Varanspire. Situated at the centre of the [[PortalCrossroadWorld Eightpoints]], the Varanspire is a hellish fortress so large that it defies mortal comprehension containing scrying towers, barracks, muster fields, dungeons, and the Everchosen's unused throne room. |
| 226 | * TinTyrant: Archaon, the greatest Champion of Chaos to have ever lived who commands the obedience of all Chaos worshippers, is always depicted wearing the ancient Armour of Morkar, a near impervious suit of black and brass plate armour festooned with spikes, horns, runes and skulls. |
| 227 | |
| 228 | !!Be'lakor, the Dark Master |
| 229 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/new_belakor.jpg]] |
| 230 | [[caption-width-right:350:The First Daemon Prince]] |
| 231 | |
| 232 | ->''I was their first son. The Prince of Daemons. The Herald of Kings. Forced to crown my inferiors. My vengeance will come.'' |
| 233 | |
| 234 | Thought by some to be the first Daemon Prince, Be'lakor is only mortal to have ascended to this position with the blessing of all the Chaos Gods, something that gives him far more freedom than his fellows. A being of darkness and lies, Be'lakor's true history, motives and goals are a mystery to all, but his machinations are felt across the realms. |
| 235 | ---- |
| 236 | * TheChessmaster: A master schemer, Be'lakor manipulates everyone around him, both allies and enemies, so that they eventually do his bidding, whether they are aware of it or not. His Dark Master ability forces an opposing unit (chosen before the battle) to take a test before it can do anything for a turn. |
| 237 | * {{Intangibility}}: Be'lakor is a creature of darkness whose physical form is as insubstantial as a shadow. Enemies often find their blades passing right through the mighty daemon prince, who can ignore save modifiers for attacks that target him. |
| 238 | * MultipleChoicePast: There are many rumours and legends surrounding Be'lakor's past, such as him being the first Daemon Prince who grew jealous of other champions and now seeks to overthrow the gods, or that he was the original ruler of Ulgu, the Realm of Shadow, who was replaced by the [[OurElvesAreDifferent aelven]] god Malerion. Due to the Daemon Prince’s obsession with secrets and lies, it is unlikely that anyone in the realms will ever know the truth. |
| 239 | |
| 240 | !!Slambo, Exalted Hero of Chaos |
| 241 | [[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/slambo_aos.png]] |
| 242 | |
| 243 | A legendary warrior of Chaos, Slambo seeks nothing more than to carve apart the mightiest foes with his paired axes. |
| 244 | ---- |
| 245 | * DualWielding: Slambo is armed with a pair of powerful Chaos Axes which grant him a random number of Attacks each time he fights. |
| 246 | * ProtagonistWithoutAPast: Slambo was an old 1985 Chaos Warrior figurine, back when the Games Workshop catalogues gave their figurines an occasional tongue-in-cheek name. Slambo finally became canon with Age of Sigmar though he still doesn't have a backstory. |
| 247 | * ThrowingYourSwordAlwaysWorks: Slambo is able to throw his mighty Chaos Axes at the enemy with each hit having the chance to do more damage to the enemy than it would if he had used it in close combat. |
| 248 | |
| 249 | !!Eternus, Blade of the First Prince |
| 250 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/eternus_m01_6.jpg]] |
| 251 | |
| 252 | Once a warrior of Archaon's Varanguard, Eternus has abandoned the Everchosen and now serves as the First Prince's chief lieutenant, herald, and spymaster. |
| 253 | ---- |
| 254 | * TheCorrupter: From a certain point of view anyway. It was his silver tongue that convinced the majority of the Eighth Circle Varanguard to abandon Archaon and take up Be'lakor's cause. |
| 255 | * {{Irony}}: He defected to Be'lakor out of loyalty to the Chaos Gods, whom his former master let slip that he wanted to eliminate eventually. Unbeknownst to Eternus, his new master also wants to eliminate the Chaos Gods to become the sole God of Chaos. |
| 256 | * MeaningfulRename: He originally went by Atarus, gaining a new name alongside his ResurrectiveImmortality. |
| 257 | * ResurrectiveImmortality: As a reward for his loyalty, Be'lakor imbued Eternus with the captured souls of several Stormcast Eternals, enabling him to be reborn in a flash of black lightning should he ever fall in battle. |
| 258 | * TheSpymaster: His primary role in Be'lakor's service, overseeing the infiltration of spies and double agents into every level of Archaon's army. |
| 259 | * TheStarscream: Eternus, an ex-Varanguard, is called the lord of traitors, for he sided with Be'lakor over Archaon. |
| 260 | * UndyingLoyalty: Not to Archaon, but to the Chaos Gods. Hearing his former master rant about killing them is what lead to his defecting to Be'lakor. |
| 261 | |
| 262 | [[/folder]] |
| 263 | |
| 264 | !Blades of Khorne |
| 265 | [[quoteright:325:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bladesofkhorne.jpg]] |
| 266 | [[caption-width-right:325:"Skulls for the Skull Thrones!"]] |
| 267 | |
| 268 | "BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD!" |
| 269 | |
| 270 | Consisting of both the mortal and Daemonic minions of the Blood God, the Blades of Khorne spread terror across the Mortal Realms, leaving nothing but rivers of blood and mountains of skulls in their wake. Whether they are a blood-mad barbarian of the Bloodbound Warhordes, or a monstrous being of Khorne's own Blood Legions, all the Blades of Khorne seek one thing: eternal slaughter in the name of the Lord of Battle. |
| 271 | ---- |
| 272 | [[folder:General Tropes]] |
| 273 | |
| 274 | !!Khorne Bloodbound |
| 275 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/aoskhornebloodboundcover.png]] |
| 276 | [[caption-width-right:350:Khorne's Chosen Murderers]] |
| 277 | |
| 278 | The mortal champions of Khorne, the Bloodbound are a pack of Chaos tainted barbarian berserkers, murderous butchers, and savage cannibals who live for no other reason than to shed blood, and claim skulls, for the Blood God. During the slaughter of the Age of Chaos the Bloodbound Warhordes rose to supremely but eventually found that there were no more worthy foes within the Mortal Realms. Once the Gates of Azyr opened and Sigmar's forces began their reconquest the Bloodbound found their prayers answered and have revelled in the battles that have followed. |
| 279 | ---- |
| 280 | * AmplifierArtifact: The Portals of Skulls carried by a Bloodsecrators are powerful icons of the Blood God that, once opened, create a rift in reality that allows the rage of Khorne to saturate the surrounding area. This wrathful energy drives any nearby followers of the Lord of Battle into a frenzy that boosts their attacks. In the 1st Edition rules the Portal also granted Khornate units reckless courage. |
| 281 | * AntiMagic: |
| 282 | ** Particularly favoured champions of the Bloodbound Warhordes are often gifted with a collar similar to those worn by Flesh Hounds. Known simply as Collars of Khorne in the Path to Glory campaign system and as Collars of Contempt in the main game, they were forged with the heat of Khorne's hatred for magic and allow their wearers to unbind spells. |
| 283 | ** The brass-clad shields carried by Bloodbound heavy cavalry, and the Lord that lead them, are forged in a similar manner to the magic-stopping Collars of Khorne and grant their bearer a chance to ignoring any damage caused by enemy magical attacks. |
| 284 | ** When the Bloodbound gather in large numbers their hatred of spellcasting begins to reflect that of their patron. In the 1st Edition of the game, this allowed any unit from a Battalion with the Blood God's Scorn ability to attempt to unbind spells by enemy wizards. |
| 285 | ** The icons of Khorne that Bloodsecrators carry into battle are conduits to the Reamlm of Khorne that allow his hatred of sorcery to saturate the surrounding area, making it more difficult for wizards to cast their loathsome magic. |
| 286 | * BeardOfBarbarism: The alternate head for the [[TheDragon Exalted Deathbringer]] with Impaling Spear miniature sports a wild and dishevelled beard that seems to merge with his equally dishevelled hair, a look perfectly suited for a war-worshipping barbarian. |
| 287 | * TheBerserker: While most of the Bloodbound are frenzied warriors who wish for nothing but slaughter, the Wrathmongers are the most berserk of their number, having lost themselves totally to the Blood God's wrath. No longer entirely human, the rage of a Wrathmonger is so great that it is able to infect those around them, driving their fellow worshipers of the Blood God to even greater fury and granting them additional attacks[[note]]in 1st Edition this also affected enemy models[[/note]]. |
| 288 | * TheBlacksmith: Skullgrinders are the mysterious warrior-smiths of the Bloodbound Warhordes, crafting brutal but effective weaponry for the Bloodbound Warhordes. |
| 289 | * BladeBelowTheShoulder: The model for the Bloodstoker has a barbed Torture Blade, which resembles the head of a trident, inserted into the ragged stump of his right wrist. |
| 290 | * BloodyMurder: When Hexgorger Skulls consumes arcane energy, they convert it into boiling blood that it spews onto nearby magic users, giving them the chance to cause [[UnblockableAttack mortal wounds]] against enemy Wizards. |
| 291 | * CannibalismSuperpower: Hounds of Wrath are mortals who have managed to overcome a Flesh Hound and feast on its flesh, losing their sanity and becoming little more than instruments of Khorne's will. |
| 292 | * CombatTentacles: Khorgoraths have horrific Bone Tentacles sprouting from their body that they use to attack those foes who attempt to stay out of reach of their monstrous claws with a ranged attack that hits as hard as a Goreaxe. |
| 293 | * CounterSpell: During battle Slaughterpriests are able to channel their god's hatred of spellcasters, their Scorn of Sorcery ability allowing them to unbind the spells of enemy wizards. |
| 294 | * DoubleWeapon: Some Blood Warriors wield a Goreglaive, a brutal polearm with a large and heavy cleaver-like blade at each end that is effective at cleaving through armour and does double the Damage of a regular Goreaxe. |
| 295 | * EpicFlail: Skullgrinders attach their [[ImprobableWeaponUser Brazen Anvils to a length of chain]] and go into battle swinging them like a burning flail. |
| 296 | * ImAHumanitarian: The Bloodreaver tribes that make up the bulk of many Bloodbound forces are cannibals, consuming the flesh of their foes almost exclusively as part of a profane ritual in honour of the Blood God known as the Dark Feast. |
| 297 | * ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: Some Exalted Deathbringers go into battle with an Impaling Spear that they can thrust straight through their opponent's body. This Brutal Impalement ability gives the Exalted Deathbringer a chance of inflicting [[UnblockableAttack mortal wounds]] on an opponent wounded as they are hoisted into the air for all to see. |
| 298 | * JoinOrDie: After a battle the Bloodreavers will force their captives to partake in their Dark Feast, damning them to the service of the Blood God if they accept or adding them to the menu if they refuse. |
| 299 | * {{Mon}}: Slaughterbrutes are typically bound to the will of a Chaos Champion of Khorne, their minds and actions under the control of their master. If their master dies, the Slaughterbrute becomes rampant, attacking anything that comes near. |
| 300 | * MultiArmedAndDangerous: Slaughterbrutes possess four front arms of differing sizes. |
| 301 | * RageHelm: The brass helmets worn by the Packlords of the Claws of Karanak are wrought in the visage of snarling canines. |
| 302 | * RunningOnAllFours: Seeking to embody the strength of Karanak, greatest guard dog of the Skull Throne, the Hounds of Wrath rush into the fray on all fours. |
| 303 | * SerratedBladeOfPain: The Claws of Karanak favour jagged, tearing weapons, which help them better mangle flesh and shed blood. |
| 304 | * SkeletonsInTheCoatCloset: The Flayed are a Bloodbound warband who craft their armour from the skeletons of those they have butchered. |
| 305 | * TakingYouWithMe: Skullreapers are unwilling to fall while there are still skulls to claim for the Blood God and will redouble their efforts even as they are cut down. The Skullreapers' Murderous to the Last special rule allows them to cause extra damage to their opponent after being killed during combat. |
| 306 | * ATasteOfTheLash: Bloodstokers can use their whips both as a weapon and to remind fellow followers of Khorne of the duties demanded by their master. |
| 307 | * ThemeNaming: Khorne's warriors all have names alluding to their deity's blood and decapitation obsession. |
| 308 | * WalkingShirtlessScene: As part of their barbaric visual theme, those Bloodbound warriors who don’t go into battle in plate armour typically fight bare chested, showing off their rippling muscles, scars and tribal tattoos. |
| 309 | * TheWorfEffect: Played straight, then averted. As the chosen followers of the most powerful of the Chaos Gods who had gained ascendancy during the Age of Chaos, it was the Bloodbound who were chosen to show just how powerful the Stormcast Eternals are when ''TabletopGame/WarhammerAgeOfSigmar'' was launched. They suffered defeats, but then they regrouped and put up a good fight that resulted in a brutal and bloody stalemate. |
| 310 | * WorthyOpponent: Many of the Bloodbound now consider the Stormcast Eternals to be the strongest opponents in the Mortal Realms, believing that fighting and defeating them is one of the greatest ways of gaining glory in the eyes of their bloodthirsty god. |
| 311 | |
| 312 | !!Daemons of Khorne |
| 313 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bloodletter_horz.jpg]] |
| 314 | [[caption-width-right:350:The Infernal Legions of Khorne]] |
| 315 | |
| 316 | The daemonic minions of Khorne are the Blood God's endless desire for violence made manifest, with their sole purpose being to enact endless slaughter in his name. The numberless masses of the daemon legions of Khorne march to war wherever enough blood flows to attract their god’s gaze, drawn to the carnage of the battlefield where their blood-soaked blades can reap mountains of skulls. |
| 317 | ---- |
| 318 | * AttackAnimal: Flesh Hounds are the attack dogs of the Blood Good. Appearing to be a monstrous cross between a hound and a lizard, Flesh Hounds are despatched by Khorne to hunt down those who have incurred his wrath. Khorne will also sometimes gift a Flesh Hound to the most favoured of his followers, where they will fight at their master’s command and hunt down those cowards that would escape the new master's blade. |
| 319 | * BallisticBone: The skulls of those crushed by Skull Cannons are shovelled into the living machine by its Bloodletter crew and fired at their former comrades. |
| 320 | * BigRedDevil: With their red skin, cloven hooves and horns, Bloodletters and Heralds of Khorne have the most traditionally demonic visual theme of all Chaos Daemons. Bloodthirsters add great bat-like wings to the theme. |
| 321 | * BreathWeapon: Wrath of Khorne Bloodthirsters can breathe a roaring blast of hellfire. |
| 322 | * FlamingSkulls: The skulls fired by the Skull Cannon daemon engines are coated in a pitch made from boiling blood and saturated with a measure of Khorne's burning fury. When fired, a skull ignites, then explodes in a shower of flaming bone shrapnel. |
| 323 | * FlamingSword: The murderously sharp and barbed Hellblades wielded by the legions of Bloodletters that make up the majority of Khorne’s daemonic forces burn with the fire of the Blood God’s rage. |
| 324 | * GeniusBruiser: The leaders of Khorne's daemonic legions are far more than mere senseless butchers, having been bequeathed a portion of the Blood God’s near infinite tactical knowledge, and lead the legions of Khorne with diabolical purpose. |
| 325 | * HorseOfADifferentColor: Juggernauts of Khorne are monstrous rhino-like beasts used as mounts by particularly favoured mortal and daemonic warriors alike. |
| 326 | * HungryWeapon: The Blades of Blood gifted to the daemonic Heralds of Khorne endlessly thirst for the blood of Khorne’s foes, guiding their wielder’s strikes to their enemy’s most vulnerable locations. |
| 327 | * TheJuggernaut: Unholy hybrids of daemonic flesh and hell-forged brass, the weight and strength of a Juggernaut make it all but unstoppable once it gets going, trampling everything in its path beneath bloodstained hooves. |
| 328 | * MoodyMount: Juggernauts of Khorne are all but untameable, goring and crushing any unworthy mortal or daemon with the impudence to attempt to ride them. Even those who succeed in getting a Juggernaut to accept them as a rider have little control over their monstrous mount, merely clinging to the beast’s back as the Juggernaut itself decides when and where it will attack. |
| 329 | * OffWithHisHead: Khorne demands the skulls of the most powerful of warriors to adorn his throne, something his daemonic children are more than willing to oblige. Bloodletters in particular are masters at collecting skulls and have the Decapitating Strike special rule that allows them to inflict mortal wounds. |
| 330 | * WalkingWasteland: The ground under a Bloodthirster of Unfettered Fury's hooves becomes cracked and broken, causing molten rock to bubble up from below. |
| 331 | [[/folder]] |
| 332 | |
| 333 | [[folder:Characters]] |
| 334 | !!Valkia the Bloody |
| 335 | [[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/valkya_aos.png]] |
| 336 | |
| 337 | A murderous and unforgiving warrior-queen, Valkia the Bloody swoops over the battlefield on crimson wings. A brimstone gale howls before her, the Gorequeen diving from its midst to fall upon her foes with deafening screams of rage. |
| 338 | ---- |
| 339 | * DashAttack: When engaging a worthy foe Valkia dives into battle with her spear [[NamedWeapon Slaupnir]] levelled at her enemy’s heart. In the same turn that Valkia charges, the spear can inflict multiple wounds. |
| 340 | * DemonOfHumanOrigin: Valkia was once a barbarian chieftain of the World-that-Was, whose brutal rule caused her tribe to rise up against her. Although she slaughtered hundreds of her former followers Valkia was eventually dragged down by the traitors, only to be resurrected by the Blood God who had been impressed by her prowess. Drawn to Khorne's realm, the she was soon reborn as a mighty daemon queen. |
| 341 | * TheDreaded: The merest rumour of Valkia the Bloody evokes terror throughout the Mortal Realms. |
| 342 | * FaceDesignShield: Valkia has the head of a Daemon Prince of Slaanesh that had insulted her mounted on her shield. The daemon’s hypnotic eyes still gaze at all who approach Valkia, causing her opponents to hesitate in their attacks. |
| 343 | * GameplayAndStorySegregation: Valkia’s backstory states that she has become a daemon queen yet the rules on her warscroll lack the Daemon Keyword, having Mortal instead due to her being a Bloodbound character. Her stats are also more in line with a mortal hero character than with Khorne's most favoured daemon prince. |
| 344 | * IHaveManyNames: Valkia has left a bloody mark on all the peoples of the Mortal Realms and is known by many different titles. The people from Aqshy refer to her as '''The Gore Queen''', while those from the Realm of Light call her '''Lady Wrath'''. To the duardin she is the '''Red Witch''' and '''Da Red''' to the Bonechewers. |
| 345 | * InLoveWithYourCarnage: There's a reason Valkia is considered Khorne's favorite Daemon Prince. |
| 346 | * PurposelyOverpowered: Valkia’s ''Magazine/WhiteDwarf'' exclusive rules for the [[GaidenGame board game]] ''Gorechosen'' were intentionally written to make her the most powerful model in the game, in order to represent her position as one of Khorne's favourite warriors. The magazine suggests using Valkia as a CrutchCharacter for inexperienced players or as the objective of a variant Kingslayer match against multiple opponents. |
| 347 | * ResurrectiveImmortality: Valkia had been slain a number of times by many mighty foes, but her beloved Khorne always brings her back. |
| 348 | |
| 349 | !!Skarr Bloodwrath |
| 350 | [[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/skarr_bloodwrath.png]] |
| 351 | |
| 352 | Like his god, Skarrr Bloodwrath craves nothing but blood and death, becoming a storm of carnage as he plunges headlong into the foe swinging his Bloodstorm Blades in wide arcs to claim mountains of skulls for Khorne’s throne. Skarr is one of the Khorne’s favourite murderers and should he fall in battle, the Blood God will raise the berserker to fight once more. |
| 353 | ---- |
| 354 | * TheBerserker: Skarr is one of the most unhinged of the Blood God’s followers, caring for nothing except slaughter and bloodshed. The insane lord cares nothing for his own life, let alone the lives of those that follow him into battle, and constantly seeks deadlier foes and larger armies to fight against in the name of Khorne. |
| 355 | * BigRedDevil: Skarr has been greatly physically blessed by his patron god, his feet transforming into cloven hooves while the skin of his heavily muscled body has becoming the colour of spilled blood. These mutations, along with the horned helmet he wears into battle, give Skarr the appearance of a man slowly transforming into a daemon of Khorne. |
| 356 | * HerdHittingAttack: Skarr’s Slaughterstorm ability allows him to sweep his brutal weapons in wide arcs around him, attacking every model within range of his Bloodstorm Blades, instead of making his usual five attacks. |
| 357 | * MixAndMatchWeapon: Skarr wields the [[NamedWeapon Bloodstorm Blades]], [[DualWielding a pair]] of mighty double-headed axes, each with a [[ChainPain long skull-weighted chain attached]]. These blades turn Skarr into a maelstrom of gore on the battlefield as he uses the axe heads to reap the skulls of his enemies while the chains bring down those who attempt to stay out of the blood-mad lord’s reach. |
| 358 | * ResurrectiveImmortality: Khorne is greatly entertained by the carnage that Skarr inflicts upon his enemies and should the berserker be slain the Blood God will ensure that his favourite murderer returns to life, his resurrection fuelled by the bloodshed of the battlefield. |
| 359 | |
| 360 | !!Scyla Anfingrimm |
| 361 | [[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/scyla_anfingrimm_aos.png]] |
| 362 | |
| 363 | Once a mortal champion of the Blood God, the blessings of Khorne have turned Scyla Anfingrimm into a monstrous Chaos Spawn that is the incarnation of ferocity and destruction. The Bloodbound Warhordes revere Scyla and consider his presence and great omen of the Blood God's favour. |
| 364 | ---- |
| 365 | * CriticalStatusBuff: Scyla's Raging Fury special rule gives him extra attacks the more he is wounded, representing the monstrous abomination’s mounting rage at his enemy’s attempts to bring him down. |
| 366 | * GenderBlenderName: In [[Myth/ClassicalMythology Greek Mythology]] Scylla was the name of a female sea monster who had once been a nymph. |
| 367 | * AHeadAtEachEnd: As well as the ape-like head sitting atop Scyla’s heavily muscled neck, the monster’s prehensile tail ends with a snapping serpentine head that will attack anyone who comes near. |
| 368 | * InASingleBound: Scyla is able to make great leaps that take him over the heads of the enemy. The monstrous Spawn uses this Bestial Leap ability to bypass weaker troops so that he can engage the strongest heroes for the greater glory of Khorne. |
| 369 | * UnstoppableRage: Scyla is little more than a mindless mass of muscle and rage who will tare through his way through enemies and allies alike. |
| 370 | * WasOnceAMan: Scyla was once a mortal lord of Khorne from [[TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}} the World-that-was]] who the Blood God blessed with so many gifts of mutation that he eventually devolved into a monstrous beast of violence and rage. |
| 371 | |
| 372 | !!Skaarac the Bloodborn |
| 373 | [[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/skaarac_bloodborn_great_khorgorath_of_khonre.png]] |
| 374 | |
| 375 | The greatest of its bestial kind, Skaarac the Bloodborn is a bloody legend amongst the worshipers of Khorne. The colossal Khorgorath has slaughtered his way across the battlefields of the Mortal Realms for countless centuries, slaying all who stand before him until some mighty champion can stop his rampage. Even death will not stop Skaarac, however, as the great beast is called back to the battlefields of the Mortal Realms by the bloodshed of war. |
| 376 | ---- |
| 377 | * BladeBelowTheShoulder: Unlike other Khorgorath, who fight with nothing but their claws and tentacles, Skaarac has Brutal Blades chained to his forearms that he uses to hack and gouge the enemies of the Blood God. |
| 378 | * DefeatEqualsExplosion: Should Skaarac be slain, he explodes in a shower of scalding blood and blazing soul-fire, inflicting mortal wounds on nearby enemy models. |
| 379 | * MultipleChoicePast: There are many theories as to Skaarac’s origin. Some believe that the Great Khorgorath was once a daemon who fell from Khorne’s favour while others believe he is nothing more than a mindless beast mutated beyond all reason by the powers of Chaos. There are even some who believe that Skaarac was the [[SuperPrototype first of the Khorgoraths]], crafted by the Blood God himself in ages past. |
| 380 | * SuperSpit: Should the enemy attempt flee the Great Khorgorath’s wrath, Skaarac will vomit up a stream of [[BloodyMurder unholy blood]] as hot as molten metal. |
| 381 | |
| 382 | !!Korghos Khul |
| 383 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/khorgos_khul_grizzlemaw_bloodbound_miniature.jpg]] |
| 384 | |
| 385 | A mighty lord of the Bloodbound and leader of the legendary Goretide. Khul's forces were the first of Khorne's servants to clash with the Stormcast Eternals, and a glorious feud has raged ever since. The Hammers of Sigmar, led by Vandus Hammerhand, foiled Khul's ploys to achieve Daemonhood. Enraged, Khul has vowed to destroy once and for all all those who have obstructed his path to Daemonhood. |
| 386 | ---- |
| 387 | * AttackAnimal: Khul goes into battle alongside Grizzlemaw, a Flesh Hound of Khorne. |
| 388 | * NearVillainVictory: Thrice. Khul almost managed to achieve Daemonhood. His dominance across the Great Parch in the realm of Aqshy when the Stormcast Eternal showed up and ruined that plan. He got his revenge and became close to complete dominance again until his supposed ally, Daemon Prince Lord Skinskein, betrayed him. In his rage Khul killed Lord Skinskein, absorbed his Daemonic forces and then wiped out the Seraphon that came to halt his invasion and securing Orb Infernia, all but winning. However, temporal sorcery by his rivals undid all of his achievements, restoring the Seraphon and Daemon Princes and reversing all of his victories. |
| 389 | * RestartAtLevelOne: Virtually won the battle for Orb Infernia and was just at the point of ascending to Daemonhood when his rivals used temporal magic to undo all of his victories and restore the forces he slaughtered, forcing him to start all over again. |
| 390 | |
| 391 | !!Vorgaroth the Scarred |
| 392 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/vorgaroth_and_skalok.png]] |
| 393 | A mighty lord of the Bloodbound, Vorgaroth the Scarred began life as a barbarian warrior in the World-That-Was who pledged himself to Khorne in order to seek vengeance on a tribe of Ogres, as the progenitors of the Ogors were known in those days. He rose in his dark god's service and survived the violent end of his world, afterwards continuing to do Khorne's bidding in the Mortal Realms. He remained undefeated for ages, but fell from favour after being bested by the Stormcast of the Fists of Sigmarite Stormhost. In an effort to return to the Blood God's favour, Vorgaroth hunted down the Godbeast Skalok and fought the great dragon until Khorne blessed them both. Their fate now bound together, Vorgaroth and Skalok travel the Mortal Realms, leaving a trail of red ruin in their wake. |
| 394 | ---- |
| 395 | * AntiMagic: Skalok's wings disrupt the balance of the winds of magic when beating. |
| 396 | * DragonRider: Vorgaroth rides on the daemonic dragon Skalok the Skull Host. |
| 397 | * HyperactiveMetabolism: In battle, Vorgaroth and Skalok are overcome with a murderous rage that reinvigorates them with any enemy eaten by Skalok. |
| 398 | * LightningBruiser: Skalok is extremely fast for a creature of such strength and bulk. |
| 399 | * NamedAfterTheInjury: He's known as the Scarred due to the horrific scars left on his body by Khorne's punishment for his arrogance and failure. |
| 400 | * {{Synchronization}}: In order to make sure that the two supremely arrogant beings would cooperate, and to teach them both a lesson in humility, Khorne bound Vorgaroth and Skalok such that, if one of them should die, the other will instantly perish in a shower of blood. |
| 401 | * WalkingShirtlessScene: Vorgaroth rides into battle bare-chested. |
| 402 | * YouHaveFailedMe: |
| 403 | ** When Vorgaroth cost Khorne's forces an important battle by turning on the Daemon Prince leading them in a jealous rage, Khorne punished him by violently mutilating him. |
| 404 | ** In turn, Vorgaroth demands unfettered obedience from his men and will severely punish anyone who shows any sign of fear. If a friendly Khorne unit near him has to take a battleshock test, he can instantly kill one model in that unit so the rest won't have to take the test. |
| 405 | |
| 406 | !!Skarbrand |
| 407 | [[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/skarbrand_aos.png]] |
| 408 | |
| 409 | Skarbrand was once the greatest of Khorne's Bloodthirsters, with none able to stand before his wrath. The prideful greater daemon fell from his god's favour however when he was tricked by Tzeentch into attacking Khorne himself and had all reason choked out of him by the wrathful Lord of Skulls. Now nothing more than a being of pure rage and hate Skarbrand travels across the Mortal Realms, slaughtering all who cross his path. |
| 410 | ---- |
| 411 | * AngstNuke: Skarbrand’s rage is so powerful that, when released in a mighty roar, it can blood boil and cause the heads of those nearby to explode in bloody fountains of gore. |
| 412 | * CriticalStatusBuff: Skarbrand has five levels of anger that increase as he loses more and more Wounds. The more pissed off Skarbrand is, the more attacks he can make, among other effects, in opposition to other Behemoth units that almost always get weaker and slower as they lose wounds. Justified as Skarbrand is driven by nothing but rage, becoming more dangerous the angrier he becomes. |
| 413 | * DualWielding: Skarbrand wields a pair of axes called [[NamedWeapon Slaughter and Carnage]] that were forged from the souls of two mighty Bloodthirsters he had defeated in single combat. |
| 414 | * TheExile: Skarbrand has been exiled from Khorne’s realm for being manipulated into attacking the Blood God. Since his exile Skarbrand has shed more blood and reaped more skulls than he did before his fall from grace, serving his god more faithfully than ever before. |
| 415 | * FeralVillain: When he attempted to strike Khorne himself, the Blood God responded by burning all thoughts and emotions from his mind except pure rage, and then threw him out of his realm. In the modern day, nothing is left of the former champion but endless, mindless fury, devoid of any kind of thought, reflection or personality, and the Exiled One rages endlessly across the world as he vents himself on whatever he happens to encounter. |
| 416 | * WingsDoNothing: Skarbrand's wings have been burnt to stumps, rendering him unable to fly like other Bloodthirsters can. |
| 417 | |
| 418 | !!Skulltaker |
| 419 | [[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/skulltaker_warhammer.png]] |
| 420 | |
| 421 | The mightiest of all Bloodletters, Skulltaker is the chosen champion of Khorne, tasked with seeking out the mightiest mortal champions and presenting their skulls to his master. A peerless duelist who has fought the greatest mortal warriors for millennia, few foes can stand before Skulltaker for long and those that do inevitably fall to his wickedly barbed Slayer Sword, their skulls destined to adorn the Herald's macabre cloak. |
| 422 | ---- |
| 423 | * TheChampion: Skulltaker is the immortal champion of Khorne and has spent millennia hunting down and challenging the most talented warriors of the Mortal Realms for the greater glory of the Blood God. |
| 424 | * CruelAndUnusualDeath: Skulltaker’s favoured method of finishing off defeated foes is to cripple them so that they lie helpless on the ground before taking their head in his hand and burning the flesh from the still living victim’s skull with hellfire. |
| 425 | * DecapitationPresentation: Skulltaker personally presents the skulls of those he defeats to the Blood God so that they can be hung from the walls of the Brass Citadel. In a sign of how highly Khorne regards his greatest Herald however, the Lord of Skulls allows Skulltaker to keep the skulls of particularly talented foes. |
| 426 | * HeroKiller: As the champion of the Blood God, Skulltaker’s entire existence is dedicated to bringing death to the greatest warriors. In battle the mighty Herald seeks out the commanders and heroes of the enemy army so that he may present their skulls to his master. One particularly renowned warrior to have fallen to Skulltaker was the Ironjawz Warboss Grukka Grotye who fought the Herald for a day and a half before succumbing to inevitable defeat. |
| 427 | * SkeletonsInTheCoatCloset: Skulltaker wears a [[BadassCape voluptuous cloak]] hung with the skulls of his greatest conquests. His miniature has no fewer than 137 skulls modelled on it. |
| 428 | |
| 429 | !!Karanak |
| 430 | [[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/karanak_aos.png]] |
| 431 | [[caption-width-right:300:The Hound of Vengeance]] |
| 432 | |
| 433 | Khorne's favourite attack dog, the three-headed Flesh Hound known as Karanak is the Blood God's thirst for vengeance made manifest. Karanak spends much of its time guarding Khorne’s throneroom within the Brass Citadel, prowling the shadows of the cavernous chamber or laying at the foot of the Skull Throne itself, gnawing at the bones of the unworthy. When Khorne's rage is roused however, he will dispatch Karanak to hunt down the object of the Blood God’s wrath. |
| 434 | ---- |
| 435 | * AntiMagic: Karanak wears the Brass Collar of Blood Vengeance, the most powerful Collar of Khorne. In addition to disrupting the abilities of magic users in the vicinity like normal Collars of Khorne, it can also cause a backlash that harms the spellcaster as well. |
| 436 | * EnemySummoner: Once per game, when he has the scent of his prey, Karanak can unleash a daemonic howl that echoes across all the realms, calling five Flesh Hounds to the battlefield. |
| 437 | * HeroKiller: Khorne unleashes his favourite attack dog on those who have most infuriated the Lord of Skulls. Karanak's Prey of the Blood God rule gives him bonuses against one of the opponent's Hero models. |
| 438 | * MultipleHeadCase: Karanak has three heads, each of which is able to track his prey a different way. |
| 439 | * SuperSenses: The first of Karanak's heads can follow his quarry's scent across space, the second can see the prey across time while the third can sense his [[{{Telepathy}} prey's thoughts]]. |
| 440 | |
| 441 | !!Mazarall the Butcher |
| 442 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mazarall.png]] |
| 443 | |
| 444 | The mighty Daemon Prince Mazarall slaughtered countless foes on his path to daemonhood, consuming their essence to increase his power. A near unstoppable force on the battlefield, Mazarall leads his gore soaked followers against the enemies of the Blood God leaving nothing but the butchered remains of his foes in his wake. |
| 445 | ---- |
| 446 | * TheButcher: Mazarall gained the title of 'the Butcher' for his remorseless slaughter and devouring of both mortal and daemonic foes. |
| 447 | * DashAttack: Mazarall's Bloody Charge ability has a chance to cause heavy damage to any foes unfortunate enough to be charged by the mighty Daemon Prince to represents Mazarall's great rage and strength as he charges into the heart of the enemy's force. |
| 448 | * EvolvingWeapon: Mazarall's [[EvilWeapon sentient axe]], known as [[NamedWeapon Harrow Meat]], hungers for the souls of its victims, permanently increasing its in-game characteristics for every enemy it kills during a game. |
| 449 | * FaceDesignShield: The Ancyte Shield carried by Mazarall has a twisted face covering its surface that has been stitched together from the skin of a former victim. |
| 450 | * GeniusBruiser: Due to his barbaric fury, many think Mazarall incapable of the intelligence and cunning required to lead troops into battle. Such fools invariably pay for their mistake with their lives and the lives of their men as Mazarall leads his followers with a skill that belies his monstrous appearance. |
| 451 | * SealedEvilInACan: Mazarall imprisons the essence of those daemons he defeats and devours within the Ancyte Shield. The Daemon Prince is able to use the energies of these bound daemons to fire energy blasts against those enemies too cowardly to approach within range of his mighty axe. |
| 452 | * ShroudedInMyth: While there are many legends and lies told about Mazarall's origin, nothing is known for sure about the mighty daemon except that he has been a force of destruction for centuries. |
| 453 | [[/folder]] |
| 454 | |
| 455 | !Disciples of Tzeentch |
| 456 | [[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/disciples_of_tzeentch_6.jpg]] |
| 457 | [[caption-width-right:300:Servants of the Great Architect]] |
| 458 | Hidden cults, avian Beastmen and capricious Daemons fight together as the Disciples of Tzeentch. These pawns of the Architect of Fate pillage arcane secrets, burn the realms with mutating fire and work for the greater glory of their mad god, whether they intend to or not. |
| 459 | ---- |
| 460 | [[folder:General Tropes]] |
| 461 | !!Tzeentch Arcanites |
| 462 | [[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tzeentch_arcanites_vs_order.png]] |
| 463 | [[caption-width-right:300:The Disciples of Tzeentch]] |
| 464 | |
| 465 | The Arcanite Cults are the most blessed of the mortal followers of Tzeentch and pose an insidious threat those who live in the Mortal Realms. From mad hermits casting twisted spells in remote and desolate places, to fat merchants, itinerant nobles and supposedly loyal soldiers, these Kairic Acolytes are present in every level of society, waiting for the day that they can throw off their disguises to enact the will of the Changer of Ways. Marching beside the human cultists come the warflocks of the Tzaangor, twisted gor-kin who are instinctively drawn to magical power and fight with the Arcanite Cults to enact the twisted goals of their dark god. |
| 466 | ---- |
| 467 | * AmplifierArtifact: Some Kairic Acolytes carry Scrolls of Dark Arts into battle. These mystical scrolls contain many arcane secrets that enhance the sorcerous abilities of the Acolyte and his cohorts. |
| 468 | * BadassTeacher: Ogroid Thaumaturges are highly sought after by Arcanite Cults, not only for their strength on the battlefield but also for their knowledge of magic and their ability to tutor the cabal’s members in the use of pyromancy. |
| 469 | * BeakAttack: In addition to sharp blades, Tzaangor possess viciously sharp beaks that they use to peck and gouge their enemies' flesh. |
| 470 | * BirdPeople: Tzaangor are a twisted form of gor-kin with avian features. |
| 471 | * BlessedWithSuck: While their flesh and bones have grown tough as stone, their muscles are swollen with power and they no longer feel the ravages of age, the warrior-masons of the Jade Obelisk soon learnt the terrible cost of these 'gifts'. As each day passes, their flesh grows more brittle, their bones cracking and creaking until the merest movement is painful. The Speaker in the Stone could delay this process, but only if the Jade Obelisk provides constant sacrifices and raises new monuments to further grow its power. |
| 472 | * BloodyMurder: One of the rewards that a champion of Tzeentch can gain using the ''Path to Glory'' campaign rules is for their blood to be transmuted into a strong acid that will wound his enemies whenever the champion takes damage. |
| 473 | * ChronicBackstabbingDisorder: As would be expected from the followers of the god of byzantine plots, the members of the Arcanite Cults scheme against each other almost as much as they do against their enemies in order to rise through the ranks and secure the favour of Tzeentch. |
| 474 | * CircleOfStandingStones: Like other species of beast-kin, Tzaangor raise monolithic herdstones known as flux-cairns. Erected in [[PlaceOfPower locations rich in magic]] flux-cairns leach this energy from the surrounding landscape, becoming great repositories of magic and warping the surrounding landscape. |
| 475 | * CriticalStatusBuff: The Ogroid Thaumaturge's Brutal Rage rule enhances its melee abilities but lowers its magical abilities after suffering 5 Wounds, reflecting how wounds suffered by an Ogroid Thaumaturge serve to only enrage it further. |
| 476 | * CrystallineCreature: Idolarcs, who serve as the messengers and pets of the Speaker in the Stone, are fashioned from crystal and given life by sacrifice. In order to prevent themselves from turning back into inanimate crystal, they need to eat a constant supply of still-beating hearts. |
| 477 | * DegradedBoss: Vilitch the Curseling, a special character in the original TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}, was replaced in-game by the Curselings, who are generic heroes that share his model in Age of Sigmar. |
| 478 | * DualWielding: |
| 479 | ** The rank and file Kairic Acolytes and Tzaangor are often armed with multiple blades that they use to attack their enemies. These warriors are so skilled at fighting with paired blades that they gain a bonus to their to hit rolls. |
| 480 | ** Curselings are able to triple wield during battle with the main body fighting with a [[FlamingSword burning blade]] and a threshing flail, while their parasitic homunculus wields a mystical Staff of Tzeentch. |
| 481 | * EvilSorcerer: While all members of the Arcanite Cults have some level of arcane skill, the Magisters of the Cult’s leadership are the true masters of TheDarkArts who will stop at nothing to lead their Cult to victory and gain favour with their profane god. Having sold their souls to Tzeentch, magical energy saturates their bodies allowing the Magister to draw upon the raw power of Chaos to power their spells. |
| 482 | * EyelessFace: A Curseling’s parasitic Tretchlet homunculus lacks eyes, having nothing but flat skin stretching from its nose to the top of its head, and perceives the world with its arcane sense of smell instead of sight. |
| 483 | * FlamingSword: Flame wreathed weapons are popular amongst the higher ranked members the Arcanite Cults with Curselings and Fatemasters both typically wielding weapons that burn with the mystical fires of Tzeentch. |
| 484 | * {{Flight}}: The mystical Windthief Charm is a magical treasure of the Arcanite Cults that allows its bearer to unshackle themselves from the bonds of gravity and fly through the skies of the battlefield. |
| 485 | * ForcedTransformation: |
| 486 | ** Tzaangor Shamans are steeped in the magic of Change, capable of turning their enemies and anyone who annoys them into horrifying forms more pleasing to the Changer of Ways. |
| 487 | ** The members of the Alter-kin Covens are so saturated with the magic of change that their enemies often spontaneously transform merely from getting too close to the Battalion. |
| 488 | ** Those struck by the Changeblade, an artefact available to the Arcanites, are horribly mutated by its power and transformed into a Chaos Spawn. |
| 489 | * GeniusBruiser: |
| 490 | ** A fully initiated Kairic Acolyte is remade into the peak of human physical potential as Tzeentch sees it - which is to say, a six foot tall, heavily muscled warrior with the ability to call curseblades out of nothing. Naturally, to even begin to take the Nine Tests that make an initiate an Acolyte, one must first impress the cult with displays of ambition and cunning, and those who survive the cutthroat nature of Tzeentch's church are just as sly as the mystics among them. Fatemasters, those Kairic Acolytes who have become Chaos Lords, even more so. |
| 491 | ** Due to their size and monstrous appearance, many of the uninitiated believe Ogroid Thaumaturges to be nothing more than dumb brutes. In reality, the Thaumaturges have incredibly cunning minds and possess a deep knowledge of the arcane arts. |
| 492 | * GrowingMusclesSequence: An initiate who successfully passes the Kairic Tests of Nine is remade by the warpfire of Tzeentch into his idea of the perfect humanoid form. Said humanoid form is rather ripped. |
| 493 | * HornedHumanoid: Like their more bestial gor-kin cousins, Tzaangor possess the elaborate horns. The more favoured a Tzaangor is with the Architect of Fate, the more elaborate their crown of horns becomes. |
| 494 | * {{Humanshifting}}: All Kairic Acolytes possess some limited form of shapeshifting ability, being able to change their form and features so that they can disguise their true allegiance and enact their master’s plans in secrecy. Generally, this is the form they had before becoming Acolytes, so even the weediest-seeming covert can turn into a giant hunk of cunning muscle if need be. |
| 495 | * ImprobableAimingSkills: The Tzaangor Skyfires are able to use their precognitive abilities to pull off incredible feats of marksmanship. In the game, they have a re-roll to hit and their attacks have a 1-in-6 chance of automatically wounding. |
| 496 | * LivingLieDetector: The twisted Tretchlets that grow from the bodies of Curselings have the ability to discern any lie spoken in their presence and can sniff out even the most hidden of secrets. This ability makes Curselings excellent at rooting out those trying to infiltrate the Cult as well as discerning those most worthy of membership. |
| 497 | * MagicEater: The [[AttackAnimal Vulchares]] gifted to some Kairic Acolytes are twisted avian creatures with an insatiable hunger for magical energy. |
| 498 | * MagicKnight: Combining strength and ferocity with magic, an Ogroid Thaumaturge can hurl blasts of fire into the enemy, before stampeding into their ranks to gore and pummel the survivors. |
| 499 | * MalevolentMaskedMen: The Kairic Acolytes wear twisted masks resembling the daemonic servants of their god, and believe that these masks represent their true face. |
| 500 | * ManaDrain: The Icons carried into battle by the Tzaangor drain magical power from nearby magic users and redirect it into sorcerous bolts that the Gor-kin fire back at their foes. |
| 501 | * PlayingWithFire: |
| 502 | ** Ogroid Thaumaturges are masters of pyromancy, able to cast the Fireblast spell in combat that burns the enemy and [[SummonMagic summons a Horror of Tzeentch at the same time]]. |
| 503 | ** Those Kairic Acolytes with the greatest skill in the use of pyromancy often group together into Witchfyre Covens. The combined might of these masters of flame allows them to unleash a relentless barrage of sorcerous flame. |
| 504 | * PowerCopying: The ability of a Curseling's Tretchlet to uncover secrets extends to magecraft. This insidious power allows the homunculus to steal spells from the mind of any nearby Wizard so that their host can cast them back at the enemy. |
| 505 | * PyroManiac: The members of the Pyrophane Cult are obsessed with the wyrdflame, believing that true glory lies in fiery destruction. Members of the Cult revel in the use of sorcerous fire to burn everyone who stands against them and their dark god blesses them for bringing corrupting flame to his enemies. As a result of their obsession, the Pyrophane Cult and its splinter cults contain more Witchfyre Covens than any other Arcanite Cult. |
| 506 | * {{Seers}}: Although all Tzaangor are able to sense the winds of fate in the same way that a predator can scent its pray, the elite of the warflocks have far more developed prophetic abilities with the Tzaangor Enlightened able to clearly see the strands of the past while the Tzaangor Skyfires are guided by knowledge of the future. The Shamans who lead the warflocks also receive prophetic dreams and visions that help them guide their followers and advance the plans of their dark god Tzeentch. |
| 507 | * ShroudedInMyth: Even amongst the most learned of the Arcanite Cults, little is known about the Ogroid Thaumaturges. That they are magically gifted and blessed by the Changer of the Ways is obvious but beyond this almost nothing is known of their origin beyond speculation. |
| 508 | * SkySurfing: The Fatemasters of the Arcanite Cults and the elite of the Tzaangor warflocks often ride to battle atop Discs of Tzeentch, flying across the battlefield to engage those whose death will advance the schemes of the Architect of Fate. |
| 509 | * TheSpeechless: Tzaangor Skyfires are utterly silent, barred from speech by Tzeentch himself as the price for seeing the future. |
| 510 | * TheSymbiote: Curselings are gifted with a parasitic, daemonic homunculus known as a Tretchlet. These twisted spirit-creatures are created from an eldritch coalescence of forbidden knowledge that has gained sapience. These homunculi constantly whisper advice to their hosts and support them with their arcane abilities as the Curseling continue their search for further hidden knowledge. |
| 511 | * TakenForGranite: Nephrite Priestesses can wield the Speaker in the Stone's fell power to turn the flesh of their enemies into stone. |
| 512 | * TooManyMouths: In addition to its 'normal' mouth (if that tentacle-filled maw can be considered 'normal' at all), the Mutalith Vortex Beast has two tails that also end in mouths. |
| 513 | * WasOnceAMan: Some Tzaangor were originally humans who have gone through dark rituals to be turned into the avian beast-kin. This transformation is often [[VoluntaryShapeshifting voluntary]] with members of the Cult of the Transient Form in particular seeing being turned into a Tzaangor as a great honour. |
| 514 | * WindsOfDestinyChange: Fatemasters are blessed with the ability to alter the strands of fate to aid their fellow Cultists, granting a re-roll to nearby Tzeentch Mortal units. |
| 515 | |
| 516 | !!Daemons of Tzeentch |
| 517 | [[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/daemons_of_tzeentch.png]] |
| 518 | [[caption-width-right:300:The Children of Change]] |
| 519 | |
| 520 | The very embodiment of insanity, the Daemons of the Architect of Fate are a riot of constantly shifting colour that appear to randomly shift between corporeal and incorporeal forms. Organised into ever-changing forces known as convocations, these children of change fight with arcane spells while constantly trying to catch the attention of their fickle master. |
| 521 | ---- |
| 522 | * AsteroidsMonster: When killed Pink Horrors now properly split into two Blue Horrors, who then further split into two Brimstone Horrors each when wounded themselves. |
| 523 | * BadassBookworm: Many warriors have thought the Lords of Change to be physically the weakest Greater Daemons of Chaos only to find their blades shattered by the Daemon’s seemingly wiry frame and their armour rent by razor sharp talons. |
| 524 | * EvilLivingFlames: Brimstone Horrors, the smallest of the Horror divisions, take the form of WaddlingHead flames. |
| 525 | * FeatheredFiend: Lords of Change, the most powerful of Tzeentch’s Daemons, are massive, bipedal, avian monsters that sport great feathered pinions. |
| 526 | * FlamingSword: The Warpfire Blade and the Pyrofire Stave are flame wreathed daemonic weapons available to Daemonic Heroes of a Tzeentch army that enhance the attacks made by the bearer. |
| 527 | * FlyingSeafoodSpecial: Screamers of Tzeentch, also known as sky-sharks, are daemons that resemble flying spine manta rays that soar on currents of magical energy in the same way that birds soar on the winds. |
| 528 | * ForcedTransformation: Heralds of Tzeentch often wield Staffs of Change, magical staves that cause uncontrollable mutation in all enemies struck by the Herald. |
| 529 | * {{Hellgate}}: Lords of Change are capable of casting the Infernal Gateway spell, which opens a portal to the Realm of Chaos itself, pulling in nearby enemy warriors whose bodies and souls are ripped apart by ravenous Daemons. |
| 530 | * MagicEater: Those daemons with the greatest hunger for magical energy often group together into Aether-eater Hosts. These Hosts seek out and set upon enemy spellcasters so that they can leach their magical energies to revitalize their own material bodies. |
| 531 | * PlayingWithFire: As their name suggests, Flamers and Exalted Flamers continuously expel gouts of baleful warpflame and are used as living artillery by their fellow daemons. In battle Flamers group together into Warpflame Hosts, the combined fury of their flames burning all those that stand nearby. |
| 532 | * PyroManiac: The Daemons of the Eternal Conflagration are renowned for their specialisation in, and obsession with, the use of fire and the convocation includes more Flamers of Tzeentch than any of theirs. Led by a Lord of Change known as the Radiant Lord, Tzeentch turns to the Eternal Conflagration when the god of magic feels the time for subtlety is at an end and those who stand in the way of his goals, and everything else in the vicinity, needs to be reduced to ashes. |
| 533 | * TakingYouWithMe: When killed, some Horrors take petty vengeance by exploding in a blast of flame, instead of dividing into smaller Horrors. [[https://www.warhammer-community.com/2020/01/02/faction-focus-disciples-of-tzeentch/ According to the designers]], this rule was added in 2nd Edition to account for when the Disciples of Tzeentch player doesn't have sufficient Blue or Brimstone Horror models to replace his killed Pink or Blue Horrors with. |
| 534 | [[/folder]] |
| 535 | |
| 536 | [[folder:Characters]] |
| 537 | !!Kairos Fateweaver, the Oracle of Tzeentch |
| 538 | [[quoteright:280:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kairos_aos.png]] |
| 539 | |
| 540 | After Tzeentch threw the Lord of Change known as Kairos into the Well of Knowledge in an attempt to learn its secrets, the Greater Daemon re-emerged terribly changed. The twin-headed Kairos could now see things that even his master could not, his right head perceiving every possible future while the left seeing the past with perfect clarity. Kairos now sits at Tzeentch's right hand as his Oracle and most powerful servant, revealing hidden secrets for the Architect of Fate or leading his forces in battle to advance Tzeentch's plots. |
| 541 | ---- |
| 542 | * TheArchmage: Even amongst the magically gifted ranks of the Lords of Change, Kairos’ arcane abilities are unparalleled. |
| 543 | * BlindSeer: Kairos' sojourn within the Well of Eternity gave him the ability to predict the future and perfectly perceive the past but left him blind to the events of the present. |
| 544 | * ForcedTransformation: Kairos' Gift of Change spell grants his enemies the blessing of mutation, transforming his target into a mindless Chaos Spawn under the player's control. |
| 545 | * PowerCopying: Kairos is able to cast any spell known by a nearby Wizard (friend or foe). |
| 546 | * ThrowingOffTheDisability: Due to a dark pact with the Lords of Change known as the Allscryers, Kairos has regained the ability to see the present by seeing through their eyes. |
| 547 | |
| 548 | !!The Changeling |
| 549 | [[quoteright:280:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/changeling_aos.png]] |
| 550 | |
| 551 | Said to be the personification of Tzeentch as the great trickster, the Changeling is one of the most favoured of the Architect of Fate’s Daemonic Heralds. A master of illusion and misdirection with powerful shape-changing abilities, the Changeling advances the Great Deceiver’s plans by spreading lies, sowing discord and corrupting the innocent. On the battlefield it uses its abilities to sow confusion amongst the enemy’s ranks and disrupting their battleplans. |
| 552 | ---- |
| 553 | * TheCorrupter: When Sigmar’s followers returned to the Mortal Realms and began establishing settlements, the Changeling disguised itself and moved through these new cities leading countless followers of the God-King astray with its lies and promises of power |
| 554 | * TheFaceless: The Changeling’s preferred form is that of a multi-armed Daemon with [[InTheHood its face covered by a heavy hood]]. |
| 555 | * MorphWeapon: The Changeling carries the Trickster’s Staff, a weapon that shares its wielder’s shape-changing abilities enabling it to take on the form and abilities of its opponent’s weaponry. |
| 556 | * ShapeshiftingTrickster: When not actively advancing the plots of the Great Deceiver, the Changeling spends its time amusing itself by using its powers to spread general chaos and confusion amongst the mortal population of the Realms. |
| 557 | * VoluntaryShapeshifting: The Changeling is able to alter its form at will, using this ability to infiltrate the cities and civilizations of the Forces of Order to corrupt its citizens, ferment sedition and spread suspicion amongst the populous. It is said that the Changeling has taken on so many forms over its existence that it cannot even remember what its true face and form looked like. |
| 558 | |
| 559 | !!The Blue Scribes |
| 560 | [[quoteright:280:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/blue_scribes_aos.png]] |
| 561 | |
| 562 | The most self-aware of their kind, the Blue Horrors known as P'tarix and Xirat'p were created by Tzeentch to collect every spell in existence. Travelling constantly across the Realms, it is P’tarix’ duty to record any incanation the Blue Scribes come across while Xirat’p catalogues them and casts them when under threat. Like others of their kind, the Blue Scribes are bad tempered and constantly bicker over every little thing, something the Great Conspirator intended as if the pair are busy fighting with each other then they are less likely to use the arcane knowledge they have acquired against their master. |
| 563 | ---- |
| 564 | * GottaCatchThemAll: The Blue Scribes were specifically created by Tzeentch to collect and catalogue every spell that has ever existed. |
| 565 | * ThePenIsMightier: Being unable to use the magic that he collects, P'tarix uses his sharpened quills, created from the [[FeatheredFiend feathers of a Lord of Change]], to stab enemies during combat. |
| 566 | * PowerCopying: As part of his mission to collect every spell in the Mortal Realms, P'tarix frantically inscribes any spell he sees used onto a Scroll of Sorcery. In-game this gives the Blue Scribes a 50% chance of instantly learning any spell used by a nearby Wizard, friend or foe. |
| 567 | * PowerLimiter: Tzeentch is well aware of his Daemons' tendency towards duplicity and betrayal, and so took steps so that the Blue Scribes would never be able to use their acquired knowledge against his interests. To this end, the Architect of Fate made P'tarix able to write arcane symbols but unable to read them. Xirat'p meanwhile is able to read the words of his twin, but is unable to understand them. |
| 568 | * SdrawkcabName: Created together to fulfil the same role, the twin Blue Horrors P'tarix and Xirat'p share the same name, only reversed. |
| 569 | * SkySurfing: To assist them in their quest, Tzeentch granted the Blue Scribes the gift of a Disc of Tzeentch to ferry them across the Realms. Piled high with scrolls and tomes, the Disc is as much a mobile library as it is a mode of transport. |
| 570 | [[/folder]] |
| 571 | |
| 572 | !Maggotkin of Nurgle |
| 573 | [[quoteright:325:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/maggotkin_of_nurgle_1.jpg]] |
| 574 | [[caption-width-right:325:Grandfather Nurgle's Beloved Followers]] |
| 575 | An alliance of the mortal and Daemonic follows of the Plague God, the Maggotkin of Nurgle dedicate themselves to bringing the bountiful blessings of the Lord of Decay to the inhabitants of the Mortal Realms. |
| 576 | ---- |
| 577 | [[folder:General Tropes]] |
| 578 | !!Nurgle Rotbringers |
| 579 | [[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/752px_maggotkin_of_nurgle_02.jpg]] |
| 580 | [[caption-width-right:300:"Buboes, Phlegm, Blood and Guts!"]] |
| 581 | |
| 582 | The most beloved servants of the Plaguefather, mortals and daemons who joyfully spread disease and death wherever they go. |
| 583 | ---- |
| 584 | * AbnormalAmmo: The Lord of Blights hands out severed heads to nearby Putrid Blightkings, letting them throw them at nearby foes. |
| 585 | * AcidAttack: The very flesh of Bloated Ones is a weapon, which can be pierced to release a spray of acidic fluids which eat through flesh and metal. |
| 586 | * BodyHorror: Their specialty as most of their forces, mortal or not, suffers from this to a horrific degree. |
| 587 | * CreepyCrows: The Harbinger of Decay model comes with accompanying raven. |
| 588 | * DeadlyGaze: The Eye of Nurgle is an amulet through which Nurgle sometimes peek through with his eye. It doesn't end well for the poor enemy standing before the wearer at such a time. |
| 589 | * FatBastard: Most of Nurgle's followers becomes quite pudgy from all the diseases they stockpile in their bodies. |
| 590 | * HorseOfADifferentColor: Pusgoyle Blightlords ride into battle on the backs of Rot Flies. |
| 591 | * OneHitKill: The Eye of Nurgle can instantly remove an enemy model from the battlefield, no matter their wounds (if it actually works that is). |
| 592 | * ThePigPen: And proud of it. Afterall, such stench can only come from the most loving father ever. |
| 593 | * {{Plaguemaster}}: Well, a proper servant of Nurgle obviously has to know a thing or two about spreading flesheating germs. |
| 594 | * PoisonedWeapons: Weapons blessed by the Blades of Putrefaction spell ooze with Nurgle's choice contagions. |
| 595 | * RandomNumberGod: The Eye of Nurgle, a one-use item that can instantly kill an enemy model within 12'' on a [=2D6=] roll of 7. While most of the time it would be useless, if it actually works you can instantly get rid of a model like Archaon or Nagash (no matter their wounds) and throw 600+ of your opponent's points down the drain. |
| 596 | * ThrowDownTheBomblet: A Witherlord carries all kinds of contagions in bottled form, and can retrieve and hurl them on the face of an oncoming foe. |
| 597 | |
| 598 | !!Daemons of Nurgle |
| 599 | [[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/daemons_of_nurgle_3.jpg]] |
| 600 | [[caption-width-right:300:"From your wounds, the fester pours!"]] |
| 601 | The children of the Plague God, the Daemons of Nurgle are the physical manifestations of disease, despair and decay. Ranging in temprement from the jovial to the sullen, Nurgle's Daemons spread the gifts of the Lord of Pestilence throughout the Mortal Realms. |
| 602 | ---- |
| 603 | * AndCallHimGeorge: With the personality and demeanour of an excited puppy, Beasts of Nurgle just want to play with all the 'friends' they meet on the battlefield. However, they are strong enough to crush a man under their bulk, and secrete all manner of toxins and virulent diseases, so you can guess how well that goes. |
| 604 | * BewareMyStingerTail: Rot Flies have tails ending in iron-hard stingers which can pierce through heavy armour. |
| 605 | * BreathWeapon: Great Unclean Ones can vomit streams of filth and disease upon their enemies. |
| 606 | * {{Cyclops}}: Plaguebearers and Heralds of Nurgle only have a single cyclopean eye in the middle of their forehead. |
| 607 | * FatBastard: Great Unclean Ones are gargantuan, living mountains of rotting flesh. |
| 608 | * MeanBoss: Spoilpox Scriveners ensure that Plaguebearers meet their tallies by relentlessly browbeating and bullying them with insults and commands. |
| 609 | * SuperToughness: The putrid bodies of Nurgle's daemons can withstand all but the strongest blows. |
| 610 | * SwallowedWhole: Rot Flies can stretch their mouthparts and proboscides to swallow their prey whole. |
| 611 | * TomeOfEldritchLore: The Tome of a Thousand Poxes, whose pages are thick which secrets of foul plague sorcery. |
| 612 | * ZergRush: Nurglings hurl themselves at far bigger foes in massive numbers and try to drown them in a mass of diseased flesh. |
| 613 | [[/folder]] |
| 614 | |
| 615 | [[folder:Characters]] |
| 616 | !!The Glottkin |
| 617 | [[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/glottkin_aos.png]] |
| 618 | [[caption-width-right:300:Otto, Ethrac and Ghurk]] |
| 619 | |
| 620 | Three powerful brothers who have served the Nurgle since before the destruction of the world-that-was, the Glottkin continue to fight for their pestilent god and, although they fell out of favour after their defeat during the Realmgate Wars, the three brothers continue to plague the Mortal Realms. |
| 621 | ---- |
| 622 | * BodyHorror: All three, but especially prominent with Ghurek, a horrific Chaos Spawn so large that his brothers took to riding him to war. Great horns sprout from his shoulders, popping boils cover his back, and his arms are hideously mutated. |
| 623 | * BreathWeapon: Otto can unleash a torrent of corrosive filth from his gut. |
| 624 | * DumbMuscle: Ghurek, who is mutated to such a monstrous size that his brothers ride him as a mount. |
| 625 | * EasilyForgiven: After their failure to conquer the Empire at the end of ''End Times: Glottkin'', the brothers were trapped in jars in Nurgle's attic, for Nurgle was ''very'' displeased with them. Now they are back and seemingly without a scratch, because it's rather counterproductive for Creator/GamesWorkshop to have the huge, starring model of a release become unusable after such a short amount of time. |
| 626 | * LampreyMouth: Ghurek’s right hand has been replaced by ''something'' that looks like a monstrous, overscary version of a parasitic lamprey's mouth. |
| 627 | * MadeOfIron: The Glottkin are one of the tankiest models in the game. With a whopping 16 wounds and HealingFactor, it's extremely difficult to kill them at the end of a battle. |
| 628 | * SiblingTeam: The three brothers always fight together. |
| 629 | * SinisterScythe: Otto attacks with a wicked scythe. |
| 630 | * TooManyMouths: Ghurek's right arm has been mutated into a lamprey mouth. |
| 631 | |
| 632 | !!Gutrot Spume |
| 633 | [[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/gutrot_sprume.png]] |
| 634 | |
| 635 | A powerful Rotbringer chieftain, Gutrot Spume leads a fleet of plague-ridden pirates known as the Drowned Men. Spume and his followers fight across the seas and rivers of the Mortal Realms in the name of the Plague God, from the deck of his kraken-flagship Lurska. |
| 636 | ---- |
| 637 | * CombatTentacles: The entire left half of his torso is a waving mass of tentacles, which ensnare and crush enemies in battle. |
| 638 | * {{Pirate}}: Gutrot Spume and his fleet travel the Realms, raiding and spreading corruption. |
| 639 | |
| 640 | !!Rotigus, the Generous One |
| 641 | [[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rotigus_rainmaker.png]] |
| 642 | |
| 643 | One of Plague God's most favoured Great Unclean Ones, Rotigus enjoys spreading the bounty of Nurgle's diseased creations across the Mortal Realms. To some primitive tribes, the Greater Daemon is a god representing the cycle of life and death, his gifts inevitably leading to the corruption and decay of all those who receive them. |
| 644 | ---- |
| 645 | * BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: Rotigus listens to despairing mortals' supplications and always delivers in a twisted manner. |
| 646 | * BellyMouth: The opening in Rotigus' belly is a leering fang-filled mouth, and a snarling face is emerging from the muscles in the open tear in his left arm. |
| 647 | * BreathWeapon: Rotigus has been blessed with the ability to vomit an endless stream of rotten meat, acids and plague water. His model visually represents this with the tide of maggots pouring out of his mouth. |
| 648 | * GreenThumb: In a typically twisted manner. Rotigus can make the flora and fauna around him grow and multiply out of control, the resulting death and rot exponentially adding to the destruction he causes. |
| 649 | * WeirdWeather: Rotigus is always accompanied by Nurgle's Deluge, a downpour of filthy, pestilent water that perpetually hovers over him and drowns those nearby in the gifts of Nurgle. |
| 650 | |
| 651 | !!Epidemius |
| 652 | [[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/epidemius_aos.png]] |
| 653 | [[caption-width-right:300:Nurgle's Chosen Tallyman]] |
| 654 | |
| 655 | A powerful Herald of Nurgle, Epidemius is surly and irritable, even by the standards of Plaguebearers. Tasked with documenting every plague and disease that Nurgle has ever created Epidemius travels the Mortal Realms, his quill endlessly recording the Plague Gods bounty. |
| 656 | ---- |
| 657 | * HumanResources: All of Epidemius' parchment or ink is grown or secreted by his research assistants. |
| 658 | * TooImportantToWalk: He's borne on a litter by Nurglings. |
| 659 | |
| 660 | !!Horticulous Slimux |
| 661 | [[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/horticulous_slimux.png]] |
| 662 | [[caption-width-right:300:Nurgle's Head Gardener]] |
| 663 | |
| 664 | Thought to be the first Daemon created by the Plague God, Horticulous Slimux is a surly Herald who tends to the Garden of Nurgle. Although he would prefer to be left tending his master's garden, Nurgle values Horticulous' abilities on the battlefield and will often send the Grand Cultivator to the Mortal Realms on important missions of corruption. |
| 665 | ---- |
| 666 | * ExtraEyes: Five eyes in total, arranged in a straight line on his head. |
| 667 | * FertileFeet: Horticulous causes the diseased and mutated flora of the Garden of Nurgle to sprout in his wake whenever he walks the material universe. |
| 668 | * HorseOfADifferentColor: He rides around on a creature resembling a giant snail with caterpillar feet. |
| 669 | * JerkAss: Horticulous is notorious among the usually jovial Daemons of Nurgle for his lack of humour, and is known as "old sour-seed" as a result. |
| 670 | * MeaningfulName: "Horticulous" sounds similar to "horticulture" and both terms are derived from the root word "hortus", meaning "garden" in Latin, fitting with his role as Nurgle's Grand Cultivator. |
| 671 | * MixAndMatchCritters: Horticulous' mount resembles a snail with an ammonite shell and prolegs like caterpillars. |
| 672 | * MotivationOnAStick: A bound Nurgling is hung in front of Mulch to make it move. |
| 673 | * OralFixation: Horticulous' model is chewing on a human bone in the same manner as a stereotypical country farmer chews on a stalk of wheat or corn. This is intended to strengthen the agricultural theme of Nurgle’s head gardener. |
| 674 | * ShearMenace: Instead of a balesword or plaguesword, the traditional weapons of a Herald of Nurgle, Horticulous goes into battle armed with a pair of rusted and filth covered lopping shears. |
| 675 | * TimeAbyss: Horticulous has been the custodian of Nurgle's garden for as long as the oldest Great Unclean Ones can remember. |
| 676 | * WalkingWasteland: Where Horticulous goes, the soil swells with flora that spread disease and decay. |
| 677 | [[/folder]] |
| 678 | |
| 679 | !Hedonites of Slaanesh |
| 680 | [[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hedonites_of_slaanesh_5.jpg]] |
| 681 | [[caption-width-right:300:Explorers of the Darkest Sensastions]] |
| 682 | |
| 683 | The Hedonites of Slaanesh are some of the most depraved of all the forces of Chaos, taking pleasure in every sensation while spreading carnage and pain to every realm. Consisting of the horrifically beautiful daemons of Slaanesh and their mortal followers, the Hedonites turn war into a depraved work of art, revelling in the violence, noise, pain and bloody smell of the battlefield. After the Dark Prince was imprisoned by the Aelven gods, the Hedonites split into three factions: the Pretenders who wish to take the throne of the Prince of Pleasure for themselves; the Seekers who search for their lost god; and the Invaders who care for nothing except stating their own desires. |
| 684 | ---- |
| 685 | [[folder:General Tropes]] |
| 686 | * AbsurdlySharpClaws: Many Slaaneshi daemons sport razor-sharp claws capable of slicing through flesh, bone, and armour with ease thanks to the Rend modifier inflicted to an opponent's save. |
| 687 | * ArabianNightsDays: The mortal Hedonites released in 2021 were given a strong, fantasy Middle Eastern theme that fits their hedonistic lifestyle. |
| 688 | * BewareMyStingerTail: Fiends of Slaanesh possess whip-like tails that end in viciously barbed stingers that can punch through armour to deliver an agonising venom into the victim's flesh. |
| 689 | * BizarreInstrument: Heartstring Lyres are disturbing instruments created from the living bodies of an Infernal Enrapturess' latest victim. Resembling a large harp with strings of soul-sinew stretched between the unfortunate mortal's ossified arms, an Enrapturess uses their Lyre to produce screams of pleasure and pain that become discordant music, and waves of pure sonic energy. |
| 690 | * BladeBelowTheShoulder: The hands of some Hellstriders can mutate into hideous claw-spears that consist of a single short digit alongside a digit that can grow to become longer than the Hellstrider's arm. |
| 691 | * BrownNote: The unique Keepers of Secrets spell Cacophonic Choir fills the air around an enemy unit with arcane sound that can reduce all but the most courageous warriors to an insane wreck, doing multiple [[UnblockableAttack mortal wounds]] on themselves. |
| 692 | * CarryABigStick: The Lords of Pain who command Slaanesh's mortal followers wield huge, twin-handed maces to crush the very life out of their foes. |
| 693 | * ChariotPulledByCats: Seeker Chariots and Hellflayers are pulled into battle by Steeds of Slaanesh, swift and powerful bipeds with serpentine bodies and muscular legs. |
| 694 | * CivilWarcraft: While fighting against your own side is normal for all factions in the game, the Hedonites have a specific battleplan[[note]]the game's name for battle scenarios[[/note]] in the [[{{Sourcebook}} Battletome]] called Two Hosts Go to War, which sees two Hedonite armies battle against each other to gain the blessings of their master. |
| 695 | * CombatTentacles: The [[MagicMirror Contorted Epitome]] is able to move and defend itself with its thick, metal tentacles that are powerful enough to crush bone and punch through armour. |
| 696 | * DealWithTheDevil: While all greater daemons make deals with mortals, Keepers of Secrets are the only one than can make such a deal during the game with its Dark Temptation ability. The enemy player can choose whether to accept the deal to receive a combat bonuses, but at the cost of a chance that they will lose their soul and dying in following combat phase. |
| 697 | * FloatingMask: The Dreadful Visage was once a mask worn by Slaanesh that gained a daemonic sentience after being so close to the face of the Dark Prince. Slaaneshi Wizards are able to summon this horrifying mask as a predatory endless spell that terrifies enemies, emboldens Hedonites, and flays anything that gets too close with its barbed tongues. |
| 698 | * FlyingWeapon: The Wheels of Excruciation are viciously sharp, barbed wheels that fly around Slaanesh's palace in vast flocks. When summoned as a predatory endless spell, the Wheels of Excruciation seek out mortal flesh to lacerate, doing multiple [[UnblockableAttack mortal wounds]] against any unit they move over. |
| 699 | * FriendlyFireproof: {{Zigzagged|Trope}}. Unlike most predatory endless spells, the mesmerising and soul sucking abilities of Mesmerising Mirrors do not affect Slaanesh units (friend or foe) in any way as they have already lost their soul to the Dark Prince. |
| 700 | * AGodAmI: In the wake of Slaanesh's disappearance, the most narcissistic, egotistical, and psychopathic followers of the Prince of Chaos (mortals and Daemonic alike) proclaimed themselves gods and sought to claim the absent Dark God’s throne. Known as Pretenders, these insane beings lead possessions of equally deluded followers across the Mortal Realms offering everyone they meet a simple choice -- to accept them as their new god, or to become a sacrifice to their greater glory. |
| 701 | * HealingHands: The Forbidden Sorceries spell Progeny of Damnation allows a greater daemon to draw the power of Slaanesh into the mortal realm to heal itself and its allies. |
| 702 | * InstantKnots: As well as using them as weapons, Keepers of Secrets that carry living whips into battle use them to entangle large enemies, reducing their combat effectiveness and making them easy prey. |
| 703 | * IShallTauntYou: Invader Host Heroes with the Hurler of Obscenities Command Trait are particularly skilled at saying just the right thing to send their opponent into a such a rage that they will attack recklessly. |
| 704 | * LuckilyMyShieldWillProtectMe: Some Keepers of Secrets carry a shield known as a Shining Aegis. Despite their relatively small size and ornate designs, these enchanted shields off the greater daemon protection from both physical and magical attacks. |
| 705 | * MirrorMonster: The Mirror of Absorption was a powerful artefact that its mortal creator had hoped would slowly drain the godly power of Slaanesh. When this plan failed -- the mirror shattering due to the power of the Dark Prince's vanity -- Slaanesh forced the unfortunate creator to create more, using them as the core of the Contorted Epitomes, twisted mirrors that absorb the souls of any who stare into them so that they can be eternally tortured by daemons. |
| 706 | * MultiArmedAndDangerous: All Keepers of Secrets have four arms, two of which end in the traditional elegant claws associated with Slaaneshi daemons, while the others end in humanlike hands that typically carry weapons as powerful as they are beautiful. |
| 707 | * TheMuse: The Daemonic Heralds known as Infernal Enrapturesses act as dark muses to musicians, encouraging them to create the most perfect piece of music that will touch the hearts and minds of anyone who hears it. Unfortunately for the musician, it invariably turns out that this piece will be unplayable on any mortal instrument, causing the musician to give themselves over to their daemonic muse to be turned into the perfect instrument. |
| 708 | * MusicalAssassin: Infernal Enrapturesses use the discordant melodies of their heartstring lyres to fill the air with sonic waves that can cause the foe's body to rip itself apart, or their hearts to burst. Their Cacophonous Melody can [[AntiInfantry kill swathes of foes at once]], while Euphoric Blast concentrates their music on a single enemy. |
| 709 | * PoisonousPerson: The whip-like tongues of Steeds of Slaanesh secret a toxin that makes them almost as dangerous as the claws of the Daemonettes that ride them. |
| 710 | * PracticalTaunt: The 2nd Edition version of Hurler of Obscenities, a Command Trait available to Invader Heroes, forces an enemy hero to attack the user. The target receives bonuses to attack rolls and suffers a penalty to save rolls as they become far more vulnerable. |
| 711 | * SoulCuttingBlade: The Lore of Slaanesh spell Soulslice Shards unless a swarm of magical darts that can rip apart very soul of the target, causing multiple [[UnblockableAttack mortal wounds]]. |
| 712 | * SpikedWheels: The Seeker Chariots, Exalted Chariots and Hellflayers seen in Hedonite cavalcades not only have razor sharp scything blades mounted on their axles, the wheels themselves are constructed entirely from elegant, yet sturdy, blades that mince anything they run over. |
| 713 | * WhipOfDominance: |
| 714 | ** Some Keepers of Secrets carry sinuous living whips into battle, using them as short range missile weapons that can hit almost as hard as the greater daemon's Elegant Greatblade. |
| 715 | ** The Alluresses and Heralds that ride into battle on vicious Hellflayers and Seeker Chariots typically wield Flensing Whips. These high-ranked Daemonettes are so skilled with these long, three-tailed, barbed whips that they are able to tear chunks of flesh and exposed eyes from their enemies' bodies, doing as much damage as other Daemonettes can do with their [[AbsurdlySharpClaws viciously sharp claws]]. |
| 716 | * YourSoulIsMine: Those caught in the barbed wheels and axles of Hellflayers and Exalted Chariots have their souls extracted and transformed into an invigorating incense that drives the Daemonette crew into a frenzy, granting them extra attacks for a short time. |
| 717 | [[/folder]] |
| 718 | |
| 719 | [[folder:Characters]] |
| 720 | !!Shalaxi Helbane, Monarch of the Hunt |
| 721 | |
| 722 | [[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/shalaxi_helbane.png]] |
| 723 | [[caption-width-right:300:]] |
| 724 | |
| 725 | Created to hunt down and overcome the greater daemons of the other Chaos God, particularly the Bloodthirsters of Slaanesh's greatest rival Khorne, Shalaxi is the Dark Prince's greatest hunter as the Dark Prince's disposal. The Monarch of the Hunt uses multidimensional senses to track its prey across the realms before challenging them to single combat, a combat that invariably ends with the foe impaled on the greater daemon's mighty spear. |
| 726 | ---- |
| 727 | * AbsurdlySharpBlade: Shalaxi's spear Soulpiercer's sharpness is unrivalled. |
| 728 | * LudicrousMeleeAccuracy: The speed and skill of Shalaxi's attacks allow the greater daemon to perfectly place attacks so that they ignore the target's defences. The Delicate Precision ability gives Shalaxi the chance to cause [[UnblockableAttack mortal wounds]] with its weapons instead of normal wounds and ignore those saves that would stop them. |
| 729 | * PracticalTaunt: When Shalaxi closes on a target, the greater daemon will issue a challenge to the foe that includes by an arcane curse which will cause terrible agony to those few who can resist its power, doing multiple [[UnblockableAttack mortal wounds]]. |
| 730 | * SuperSenses: The mass of hairlike antennae that sprout from Shalaxi's head are a sensorium that grant it superior senses to any other daemon of Slaanesh. Able to see fear, taste cowardice, and peer across dimensions, once the Monarch of the Hunt is on the trail, there is nowhere to hide and the foe's death is assured. The Refine Senses spell can further empower these senses, allowing Shalaxi to sense its prey's actions. |
| 731 | * TentacleRope: Shalaxi's Cloak of Constriction consists of multiple tentacles that grasp and bind the limbs of the greater daemon's enemies, interfering with their attacks so that Shalaxi gets a bonus to its saving throw in combat. |
| 732 | |
| 733 | !!The Masque |
| 734 | [[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/masque_aos.png]] |
| 735 | |
| 736 | Once the most favoured of all Slaanesh's Daemonic Heralds, the Masque fell from grace when the fickle Dark Prince thought she was mocking a recent loss in the Great Game. Cursed to dance eternally, the Masque was banished from Slaanesh's palace and now travels the realms, luring mortals to join her dance. |
| 737 | ---- |
| 738 | * CoolMask: The Masque carries a short staff with a shape-changing mask at each end that the Herald uses to take on various roles during its dances. Each mask also has a different effect on the Masque while being worn, either increasing its Attacks, or allowing it to regain lost wounds. |
| 739 | * DanceBattler: Despite being cursed to never stop dancing, the Masque is still a highly competent fighter, using the rhythm and agility of her dances to cavort through enemy lines, snipping of heads and limbs with every pirouette. On the tabletop, the Masques Endless Dance ability boosts the Herald's combat ability against slower targets and makes it easier for it to get into combat. |
| 740 | * TheExile: The Masque was exiled from Slaanesh's presence for displeasing Slaanesh, and cursed to dance throughout the Mortal Realms and the Realms of Chaos for all eternity. |
| 741 | * InvoluntaryDance: While it [[GameplayAndStorySegregation isn't represented in the Masque's tabletop rules]], the background material mentions that those who see the exiled Herald's dance are often compelled to join in until they collapse in exhaustion or begin to harm themselves in time with the dance. |
| 742 | * MultiArmedAndDangerous: Much like a Keeper of Secrets, the Masque sports four arms, two with human-like hands while the others possess razor sharp claws. |
| 743 | |
| 744 | !!Syll'Esske, the Deadly Alliance |
| 745 | |
| 746 | [[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/syllesske_age_of_sigmar.png]] |
| 747 | [[caption-width-right:250:]] |
| 748 | |
| 749 | The symbiotic Daemon Prince known as Syll'Esske came into being when the Daemonic Herald Syll attempted to save the life of the mortal gladiator Esske by giving him ichor directly from her own veins. The soul-bound entities now fight as one, leading their own Host of Slaanesh consisting of both mortal and Daemonic warriors who worship them as saints of excess. |
| 750 | ---- |
| 751 | * AbsurdlySharpBlade: Esske wields the Axe of Dominion, which is designed to look like a styalised part of Slaanesh's symbol and carries an enchantment that makes it is sharp enough to cleave through stone with ease. |
| 752 | * DisabledBadass: Soon after their souls joined together, the blinded Esske and the crippled Syll were forced to fight against a legion of Khornate daemons that had invaded Slaanesh's palace, but the pair proved far stronger than anyone thought, managing to delay three Bloodthirsters long enough for them to be overwhelmed by Slaaneshi reinforcements. It was this act that saw Esske elevated to the rank of Daemon Prince and the pair truly became the Vengeful Alliance. |
| 753 | * MergerOfSouls: Syll's desperate attempt to save Esske’s life by feeding him her daemonic ichor resulted in the souls of the two entities merging together forevermore, fighting in perfect unison against their foes. |
| 754 | * WhipOfDominance: Syll wields a multi-tailed Scourging Whip that she found abandoned on the floor of the gladiatorial arena after joining with Esske. While not as powerful as the daemon prince’s Axe of Dominion, Syll uses her whip to create openings for Esske, or to quickly land attacks on a target left staggered by Esske’s strikes. |
| 755 | |
| 756 | !!Sigvald the Magnificent |
| 757 | |
| 758 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sigvald_age_of_sigmar.png]] |
| 759 | [[caption-width-right:350:]] |
| 760 | |
| 761 | The former Champion of Slaanesh from the World-That-Was. Sigvald's fractured soul was imprisoned in a cursed mirror by Nagash following the End Times, only to be freed following a chain of events when his mirror came into contact with the prison of his patron deity. Reborn as a [[DemonOfHumanOrigin Daemon Prince]], he now seeks to gather his armies in preparation for the Dark Prince's return. |
| 762 | ---- |
| 763 | %%* TheAgeless |
| 764 | * DemonOfHumanOrigin: After Sigvald was freed from the Magnificent Mirror, noticing that his former favourite son had endured after being discarded by him and spending ages trapped within the cursed mirror, Slaanesh blessed him with a new form--that of a Daemon Prince. |
| 765 | %%* CameBackStrong: He's a Daemon Prince now. |
| 766 | * HornedHumanoid: From Sigvald's head curls a pair of horns crackling with sinful energy. |
| 767 | * LightIsNotGood: He sports golden armor and hair, yet is thoroughly corrupt to the core. |
| 768 | %%* LongHairedPrettyBoy |
| 769 | %%* LuckilyMyShieldWillProtectMe |
| 770 | * RoyalRapier: Shardslash, forged from the shards of the mirror that Nagash had imprisoned him in. |
| 771 | * SealedEvilInACan: Slain during the End Times, Sigvald's soul was captured by Nagash, imprisoned in a mirror for killing the Wight King Krell. For many long years, the Magnificent Mirror lay forgotten in the city of Shadespire in the depths of Uhl-Gysh before it was discovered by some enterprising Kharadron Overlords and subsequently fell into the hands of Slaanesh worshippers, who freed him. |
| 772 | %%* WhiteHairBlackHeart |
| 773 | |
| 774 | %%!!Glutos Orscollion, Lord of Gluttony |
| 775 | |
| 776 | %%---- |
| 777 | %%* EvilSorceror |
| 778 | %%* FatBastard |
| 779 | %%* VillainousGlutton: Has it right in the title. |
| 780 | |
| 781 | [[/folder]] |
| 782 | |
| 783 | !Legion of Azgorh |
| 784 | [[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/legions_of_azgorh.jpg]] |
| 785 | [[caption-width-right:300:Hellsmiths of Hashut]] |
| 786 | |
| 787 | Corrupted duardin based in the Ashcloud Mountains of Aqshy, the Legion of Azgorh worship Hashut, the Father of Darkness. The Legion seek to enslave everybody that crosses their path, and create monstrous war machines to help them dominate the Mortal Realms. They serve as (more or less) the ''Age of Sigmar'' counterpart to the Chaos Dwarfs of ''Warhammer Fantasy''. |
| 788 | ---- |
| 789 | [[folder:General Tropes]] |
| 790 | * CarFu: Both Iron Daemons and Skullcrackers are capable of grinding foes to a pulp with their armoured bulk as well as the Iron Daemon's spiked wheels and the Skullcracker's array of picks and mauls. |
| 791 | * CounterAttack: The Spiteshields of the Legion of Azgorh are laced with malefic curses, which have a chance to inflict a wound back on an attacker if the wielder passes a save roll. |
| 792 | * FoeTossingCharge: Charging Bull Centaurs slam into their victims with wild rage, crushing them beneath their weight and hooves. |
| 793 | * MightyGlacier: Artillery pieces used by the Legion of Azgorh (namely the Deathshrieker, Magma Cannon and Dreadquake Mortar) are slow, ponderous but much more heavily armoured than other artillery, all while sporting the same firepower. |
| 794 | * OurCentaursAreDifferent: Bull Centaurs have the head and torso of a monstrous, horned humanoid, and the lower body of an oversized horse. |
| 795 | * OurDwarvesAreAllTheSame: {{Averted}}. The Legions of Azgorh are the successors of the [[Characters/WarhammerChaosDwarfs Chaos Dwarfs.]] |
| 796 | * RecursiveAmmo: Deathshrieker rockets split apart mid-air to shower their targets with incendiaries. |
| 797 | * ATasteOfTheLash: Daemonsmiths can brutally lash a Dreadquake Mortar's Slave Ogre in order to make it reload faster, but this is not without risk and the Slave Ogre may rebel. |
| 798 | * ThrowDownTheBomblet: Each Daemonsmith carries a single flask of the Blood of Hashut, a deadly incendiary substance that causes flesh to liquefy and metal to burst into flames. |
| 799 | * WreathedInFlames: The bodies of the K'daai are scorched iron frameworks filled with searing flame. |
| 800 | [[/folder]] |
| 801 | [[folder:Characters]] |
| 802 | !!Shar'tor the Executioner |
| 803 | |
| 804 | The massive Bull Centaur, Shar'tor is a powerful warrior-priest of Hashut who acts as the dark god's executioner who is said to be able to kill the weak-hearted with a word. |
| 805 | ---- |
| 806 | * TheFaceless: His face is never seen, as he always wears Hashut's sacred Mask of the Executioner. |
| 807 | * LargeAndInCharge: Shar'tor is the biggest Bull Centaur model, being taller and much more massive than the normal Bull Centaur Render or Taur'uk. |
| 808 | * YourSoulIsMine: Shar'tor's Darktide Axe is a massive, rune covered two-handed executioner's axe that absorbs the souls of those it slays. |
| 809 | [[/folder]] |
| 810 | |
| 811 | !Beasts of Chaos |
| 812 | [[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/beasts_of_chaos_5.jpg]] |
| 813 | [[caption-width-right:300:The True Children of Chaos]] |
| 814 | -> "''The seasons have their order, the night comes after day, not so the horned marauder, the beastman of the bray. A creature without master, a killer without cause, a bringer of disaster, by blade and bloodied jaws. When come his hooves a'pounding, You'll hear the bestial call, and with your screams resounding, you'll run until you fall.''" |
| 815 | |
| 816 | The haunted forests and wastelands of the Mortal Realms are home to savage creatures that live only to trample and despoil. Some call them the horned ones, others the true children of Chaos, but to mortal men they are known as Beastmen. The Beasts of Chaos are warped visions of man and animal, consumed by hatred and rage. Their entire culture subsists on anarchy, living to fight anyone, including other Beasts. They are called the true children of Chaos, being the malformed manifestation of Chaos in the mortal realms. They serve as (more or less) the ''Age of Sigmar'' counterpart to the Beastmen Warherds of ''Warhammer Fantasy''. |
| 817 | |
| 818 | When the horns of battle call, the Greatfrays amass alongside their bull-headed brethren to fight alongside the armies of Chaos. The only reward they seek is the chance to wreak utter havoc upon everything in their path. |
| 819 | ---- |
| 820 | [[folder:General Tropes]] |
| 821 | * TheAgeless: As part of a deal they made with the Gods of Chaos, the Dragon Ogors are all immortal unless killed. They continue to grow as they age, and the most ancient ones become Shaggoths. |
| 822 | * AncestralWeapon: The weapons of the Dragon Ogors were forged in the Age of Myth, when they were still roaming the Realm of Heavens. |
| 823 | * AxCrazy: All Beasts of Chaos are crude and base creatures, filled with a desire to see any trace of civilisation they come across burned to the ground. |
| 824 | * BasiliskAndCockatrice: The Cockatrice is a monster of Chaos whose most feared weapon is a gaze that can turn foes into stone. |
| 825 | * BeastMan: Gor-kin resemble humans with the heads and hooves of ungulates like goats and cattle but with more fangs and spikes, although the more chaotic ones have additional, unique mutations. They're also all horrible, evil monsters and fully devoted to Chaos. |
| 826 | * TheBerserker: In battle, the Beasts of Chaos tear up their enemies in a savage frenzy. |
| 827 | * BloodLust: All Warherd species (Doombulls, Bullgors, Ghorgons, and Cygors) suffer from the bloodgreed curse, compulsively devouring those before them - even the likes of ghosts and daemons - in efforts to slake their thirst for blood. |
| 828 | * BoozeBasedBuff: Centigors have the special rule Drunken Courage, which grants them a bonus to Bravery for being intoxicated. |
| 829 | * BreathWeapon: A Chimera can unleash a gout of fire from its draconic head. |
| 830 | * BrownNote: There is something so unearthly about the Jabberslythe that even to set eyes upon one is to go immediately insane. |
| 831 | * CombatTentacles: The Mutalith Vortex Beast attacks its prey with nine huge tentacles that extend out of its mouth. |
| 832 | * {{Cyclops}}: The Cygor only has a single, large, glowing eye on its forehead. |
| 833 | * DemotedToExtra: In 4th Edition (which was announced in April 2024, three months after ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'' was rebooted in the form of ''The Old World''), the entire Beasts of Chaos model range for ''Age of Sigmar'' was retired. The only Beastmen left in the game are the Tzaangors and Slaangors, who remain part of their patron deities' armies. |
| 834 | -->''The Beasts of Chaos are leaving Warhammer Age of Sigmar, but they'll be back in the future… or rather, the past. Yes, the Beastmen are returning to their old feeding grounds in the World of Legend and Warhammer: The Old World.'' |
| 835 | * DisabilitySuperpower: Cygors' eyes are blind, but can see the souls of wizards blazing like flame and pick them out in the midst of a battle. |
| 836 | * DualWielding: Dragon Ogors can be armed with a pair of identical weapons. |
| 837 | * EnergyAbsorption: Lightning does not harm Dragon Ogors; it instead heals and energises them. |
| 838 | * TheHorde: The Beasts of Chaos gather in hordes and seek to tear down civilisation, leaving nothing but ruins. |
| 839 | * HumanSacrifice: Brayherds incessantly seek worthy victims to sacrifice to the Gods of Chaos. |
| 840 | * KingMook: The Shaggoth resembles a [[{{Pun}} scaled]]-up version of a regular Dragon Ogor, with a huge axe instead of twin weapons. |
| 841 | * KlingonPromotion: The leaders of the Beasts of Chaos, called alphabeasts, almost always reached this position by killing their predecessor. |
| 842 | * LifeDrain: If a Cygor successfully unbinds a spell, a wound is transferred from the caster to it. A Ghorgon can heal itself if it inflicts wounds with its maw. |
| 843 | * MageKiller: Wizards blaze like beacons before the unnatural sight of a Cygor, which can reroll failed hit rolls against them and unbind spells as if it was a wizard. |
| 844 | * MultiArmedAndDangerous: In addition to its normal arms, a Ghorgon has two extra bladed arms. |
| 845 | * MultipleChoicePast: It's speculated that the Brayherds might be either barbarian humans mutated by the powers of Chaos, natives of the Realm of Chaos that spilled into the eight others, or the corporeal manifestations of the nightmares of all those under the dominion of Chaos. |
| 846 | * MultipleHeadCase: Each Chimera has an avian, a draconic and a leonine head. |
| 847 | * OurCentaursAreDifferent: |
| 848 | ** Centigors are like goat-bodied centaurs with horns and clawed feet instead of hooves. |
| 849 | ** Dragon Ogors have the upper body of an ugly ogor and a lizard-like, four-legged lower body. |
| 850 | * OurMinotaursAreDifferent: Bullgors and Doombulls are towering bull-headed and cloven-hoofed beasts that constantly hunger for blood and meat. Twice the height of a man and substantially more muscular, their horns can eviscerate with a single thrust. |
| 851 | * RetCon: Originally, the Slaughterbrute and Mutalith Vortex Beast were generic unaffiliated Chaos beasts until an update in April 2017 gave them the Khorne and Tzeentch keywords, respectively. |
| 852 | * ShockAndAwe: The exclusive spell of Dragon Ogor Shaggoths is called Summon Lightning. However, it cannot be used offensively; it instead heals and empowers friendly Dragon Ogors. |
| 853 | * TheSocialDarwinist: The weak and feeble in the merciless gor-kin society are quickly culled, and no gor-kin that is not a warrior can survive long. |
| 854 | * TakenForGranite: Cockatrices have the curious ability to petrify their foes with a magical gaze. |
| 855 | * UseYourHead: The Ramhorn Helm allows its wearer to deliver a devastating headbutt to any enemy that lowers its guard. |
| 856 | * YouWillNotEvadeMe: The Great Bray-Shaman's exclusive spell Devolve forces an enemy unit to move as close as possible to the nearest model from the caster's army. |
| 857 | [[/folder]] |
| 858 | |
| 859 | [[folder:Characters]] |
| 860 | !!Morghur |
| 861 | |
| 862 | A malevolent entity of corruption from the World-That-Was, Morghur survived its destruction and is now worshiped as a god by the Gor-kin of the Gavespawn Greatfray. |
| 863 | ---- |
| 864 | * EldritchAbomination: Morghur is a semi-immortal, sentient, daemonic spirit hellbent on corrupting everything and destroying civilisation in the name of Chaos. |
| 865 | * MonsterProgenitor: The Gavespawn Beasts of Chaos believe Chaos Spawn to be Morghur's offspring. |
| 866 | [[/folder]] |
| 867 | |
| 868 | !Skaven |
| 869 | [[quoteright:325:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/skaventide.jpg]] |
| 870 | [[caption-width-right:325:Clanrats of the Skaventide]] |
| 871 | |
| 872 | The Skaven, also called the "Skaventide," and the "ratmen," are true creatures of Chaos, a teeming species of mutant, humanoid rats with a megalomaniacal desire to rule over all creation. They are anarchic, conniving creatures, self-serving back-stabbers who proliferate in the dark corners of the Mortal Realms and beyond. |
| 873 | |
| 874 | They are the chosen race of the Great Horned Rat, one of the five major Chaos Gods, who sees their ascendancy over all the other mortal races of the realms as the key to its own triumph over the other Ruinous Powers in the Great Game played between them for influence and power. |
| 875 | ---- |
| 876 | [[folder:General Tropes]] |
| 877 | * ThirteenIsUnlucky: {{Inverted}} Thirteen is the sacred number of the Great Horned Rat, their most powerful spell is the ''Dreaded Thirteen Spell'' and the Skaven are ruled by the Council of Thirteen - twelve Lords of Decay, with the thirteen seat reserved for the Great Horned Rat himself. PlayedStraight for their enemies however. |
| 878 | * AlwaysChaoticEvil: Much like the Beastmen, there exists no Skaven capable of rising above their innate corruption and forsaking their chaotic ways. Even among the forces of Chaos, the Skaven are one of the most vile and evil races in the setting. They feel no camaraderie, love, valor, or hope, making them lesser than even the most depraved of human Chaos cultists. They hate everyone equally, including each other and it is only by their shared fear of the Great Horned Rat that keeps the Skaven from being in a constant state of open civil war. |
| 879 | * AppliedPhlebotinum: The Skaven use [[GreenRocks Warpstone]], the condensed and solidified form of raw Chaos, to power and enhance their technology. From basic metallurgy to sophisticated, if unreliable, magitek power generators, warpstone is an ever-present component of Skaven science and engineering, and they will go to any lengths to secure even the smallest amount of this powerful, and dangerous substance. |
| 880 | * BadBoss: Skaven leaders universally see their underlings as useful pawns at best and think nothing of sacrificing them if their deaths could further their plans, have outlived their usefulness, failed them, delivered bad news, or simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time when the leader was in a bad mood. |
| 881 | * BewareTheSillyOnes: The Skaven's LaughablyEvil presentation and often pathetic misuse of their vast resource base can distract one from the fact that they are, if even mildly unified, by far the most powerful race in the setting, with technology in excess of everyone else's and enough troops to outnumber all of them combined. |
| 882 | * BizarreSexualDimorphism: Male Skaven are bipedal man-sized rats of vaguely human intelligence (they think they're smarter then they really are, but are still quite intelligent) while female Skaven are humongous, bloated, normal female rats that do nothing but lounge around, eat and produce litter after litter of new Skaven. Background material claims they're not naturally like this but are purposefully mutated into bloated birthing machines via Warpstone exposure. This has been going on for so long that not even the Skaven know what an unmutated female looks like any more, not that they care. |
| 883 | * BlackComedy: Skaven are emphasized as being such utterly terrible and virtueless individuals (along with some seriously wacky tech [[MadeOfExplodium that is usually as much of a threat to themselves as to their enemies]]) that they go right back to hilarious. |
| 884 | * CannonFodder: The Skaven really don't seem to care how many of them die in battle and clan rats can be sent to die in droves. However, the Skavenslaves even stand out in all of the game. They are so expendable they have a rule allowing all Skaven units to fire at a melee combat between them and the enemy. The missed shots hit the slaves instead but no one of value will be lost either way. |
| 885 | * ChronicBackstabbingDisorder: The root of all of their problems. The Skaven are so treacherous they constantly try to undermine their superiors and grab their positions with treacherous methods such as causing lucky accidents, or sabotage their subordinates if it looks like their successes will result in them and/or their clan looking better than the leader and/or the leader's clan. They'll do this whenever they deem it convenient to their individual needs, even if it'll ruin efforts to advance Skavendom's cause (i.e. assassinate a warband's leader right before a major battle). Their society only persists [[ExplosiveBreeder because they still manage to birth more than their losses]] and [[GenghisGambit they still hate all other species slightly more]]. |
| 886 | * CombatPragmatist: Like you wouldn't believe. Very few Skaven go out of their way to seek challenges, preferring to shove an underling forward instead. That being said, they will fight if the odds are tilted heavily in their favour and no fight in their favour has them equal their enemy in number. |
| 887 | * CreationMyth: During the Age of Myth, the Great Horned Rat carried the Blight City from the World-That-Was in his jaws before safely depositing both it and the Skaven within on an island of pure warpstone floating in his realm of Chaos. |
| 888 | * {{Cyborg}}: Stormfiends, hulking brutes stitched together from a variety of body parts and mechanical components, most prominently guns and armor plating. |
| 889 | * DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment: Their distinctive VerbalTic has them highlight words in their statements for emphasis by saying the word twice, or immediately following it with a synonym. (E.g. "Kill-slay the no-furs! All will die-die!") |
| 890 | * DirtyCoward: Cowardice is considered a virtue among the Skaven. While everyone else has their heroes in the first rank of a unit and suffers quite a few drawbacks if they decline a challenge for a duel, Skaven leaders lead from the back without problems. |
| 891 | * DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything?: Warpfire is specifically said to stick to anything and cannot be doused — it's fantasy-napalm on steroids and Chaos. |
| 892 | * EatenAlive: Woe betide any Skavenslave who is injured on the job, as his own compatriots will quickly take the opportunity to get [[IAmAHumanitarian what little fresh meat they can]]. Unfortunately for Skavenslaves, on-the-job injury is fairly common. |
| 893 | * EliteMooks: Stormvermin, who are the fighting elite of any Skaven army. The Skaven leadership may have [[WeHaveReserves little care for the well-being of their underlings]] but even they recognize the need for having at least a handful of professional soldiers they can count on. Thus Skaven born with black fur are recruited at an early age for the Stormvermin, fed very well, given extensive training, clad in heavy armor and equipped with quality weaponry. All of this creates larger, stronger, more disciplined guards with superior equipment, and who are usually fairly loyal (by Skaven standards). |
| 894 | * EnemyCivilWar: The Skaven as a whole are in a labyrinthian civil war at all times, as they are constantly fighting and scheming to betray their many enemies, real or imagined. |
| 895 | * EnemyMine: All Chaos Gods look upon the Horned Rat with scorn, but that hasn't stopped Nurgle from taking the Clans Pestilens under his wing. [[JustifiedTrope No doubt this is due to both of them loving disease]]. In matched play, the only faction that can ally with the Skaven is the Maggotkin of Nurgle, and only if the Skaven general is a member of the Clans Pestilens. |
| 896 | * EvilCannotComprehendGood: They really don't understand any of the things humans would call 'virtues'. Traits like loyalty, compassion, and courage are completely alien concepts to them, as is the concept of self-sacrifice for any reason beyond "it'll be worse for you if you don't." What this means is that while they are very good at manipulation and deception, their 'society' is in a constant state of near-collapse, and when other species act on HonorBeforeReason, it can end up completely blindsiding them. |
| 897 | * ExplosiveBreeder: Both a benefit and a massive drawback to the ratmen. Skaven reproduce quickly, with female Skaven giving birth to huge litters after a short gestation cycle. The vast majority are runts who are small and twisted in form and fur, destined for a brutal and mercifully short life, while those who are larger and healthier are made clanrats. This borders on PowerIncontinence as the Skaven frequently reproduce faster than their infrastructure can be expanded to provide for them, leading to food shortages and cannibalism or pushing them into surface conquest. |
| 898 | * ExplosiveOverclocking: While most of Skaven technology is quite powerful, it's also very prone to self-disintegration. |
| 899 | * FantasticDrug: Some Skaven consume warpstone, possibly crushed into a dust for further parallels, which increases their magical powers. [[DrunkOnTheDarkSide And you better believe it is addictive and causes them to lose what little sensibilities they had in the first place]]. |
| 900 | * FantasticRacism: In addition to looking down their snouts at all other races, even among Skaven fur color tends to come with stereotypes about their value or lack thereof. Thanks to Skaven with particular fur colors being selected at birth for special roles, training, and feeding, those stereotypes tend to be a SelfFulfillingProphecy. |
| 901 | * FantasyCounterpartCulture: In general terms, with their crazy technology, [[EvilutionaryBiologist Evilutionary Biologists]], DeadlyGas and [[EliteMooks "Stormvermin"]], there's more than a little resemblance to ThoseWackyNazis. |
| 902 | * FireBreathingWeapon: The warpfire thrower, a two man flamethrower that tags along with other units that fires what is essentially {{Hellfire}}. |
| 903 | * FriendlyFireproof: Unlike nearly every other predatory endless spell in the game, the Skaven's Vermintide does not harm Skaven units, nor does it block their movement. That being said, this protection does not extend to Maggotkin of Nurgle troops allied to a Pestilens army. |
| 904 | * GatlingGood: [[{{Pun}} Ratling]] Good. The Ratling Gun is a multi-barrel cannon that rapidly fires shards of warpstone, using a warpstone-heated [[SteamPunk steam engine]] to drive it. |
| 905 | * GloryHound: Virtually every Skaven wants to be seen to take the credit for something that furthers the Horned Rat's cause (because that's how they gain the approval of their superiors and rise in esteem before they're in a position to [[TheStarscream surpass those superiors]]), but almost all of them prefer that someone else bears the brunt of the risk for doing so. Lots of scheming, lying, backstabbing, and posturing is the inevitable result. |
| 906 | * HamsterWheelPower: Skaven doomwheels are war machines that are propelled by Rat Ogres running in wheels. |
| 907 | * HornsOfVillainy: Horns are viewed as a sign of a Skaven being blessed by their evil god, which happens to be the Great Horned Rat. The Grey Seers are all horned and are the foremost masterminds of the Skaven, while the Verminlords naturally possess huge horns, being greater daemons of the Horned Rat. |
| 908 | * HorrorHunger: Skaven who've just been through combat are frequently subject to the "Black Hunger" as they come off the battle fever, a near-compulsive desire to feed, especially on meat if possible. Fortunately, battle leaves plenty of fresh corpses [[IAmAHumanitarian and the Skaven aren't picky at taking what meat they can get]]. |
| 909 | * HurricaneOfPuns: Beginning with ratling guns and only getting worse from there. |
| 910 | * ImAHumanitarian: Due to their extremely high metabolism, Skaven often feed on the corpses of their own fallen after a battle. Due to their [[ExplosiveBreeder extremely high breeding rate]], it's not uncommon for Skaven within a clan to just outright murder and eat each other when there's too many of them, there's not enough food going around, and they can't find an enemy within reach. |
| 911 | * IntelligentGerbil: The Skaven are a race of sentient and intelligent human-like rats who routinely develop cunning plans or groundbreaking technology but are held back by their many faults. |
| 912 | * ItsAllAboutMe: The standard attitude of any Skaven — if the universe was as it should be, the Skaven would be its masters and the specific Skaven in question the ruler of the entire race. No Skaven would never give up something of theirs to help someone else unless they planned to benefit from it and no Skaven has ever been shown to regret the death of another being unless it also entails them losing a benefit. |
| 913 | * LawOfChromaticSuperiority: The vast majority of Skaven are born with brown fur, and these are for the most part consigned to life as slaves or nameless clanrats. Very occasionally, Skaven pups are born with distinctly black or white fur — the former become much larger and stronger than common brown-furred specimens and are raised as Stormvermin, while the latter develop magical powers and are raised as Grey Seers. |
| 914 | * LightningGun: The Lightning cannon, which shoots a magic ray of lightning that disintegrates everything on a straight path in front of it. |
| 915 | * MadeOfExplodium: The Skaven's most dangerous weaponry isn't hugely less dangerous to their users. |
| 916 | * MagicKnight: Verminlords are capable of wiping out entire armies with both physical and magical might. |
| 917 | * {{Magitek}}: Warpstone is essentially "solid magic" The Skaven make heavy use of this in their technology, in everything from conducting arcane electricity to magic foci, from to steam engines to toxic brews, from mutagens to chemical propellants. |
| 918 | * ManipulativeBastard: An entire race of them, constantly seeking to outwit, con, or backstab all the other races and each other in pursuit of their nefarious schemes. Woe betide anyone foolish enough to strike a deal with one... |
| 919 | * MeaningfulName: "Skaven" is one letter away from "[[DirtyCoward craven]]", a skave is also a somewhat obscure British slang term for someone with poor cleanliness habits. |
| 920 | * MonowheelMayhem: The Doomwheel is one of the Skavens's masterpieces. It's a giant wooden hamster wheel acting as a chariot, powered by a swarm of rats running at its bottom and giving it random movement, and a lightning gun platform as well. |
| 921 | * MonstrousCannibalism: Skaven are generally perfectly willing to eat their own dead... or just make other Skaven dead to eat them, if need be. |
| 922 | * NeverMyFault: The standard Skaven view of any time things don't go their way. The reasons why this is not the case are manifold, but most of them boil down to [[SurroundedByIdiots incompetent subordinates]], SelectiveObliviousness about past actions, superiors refusing to [[KlingonPromotion make way for someone who knows what they're doing]] and [[WhyWontYouDie enemies that just won't die]]. |
| 923 | * NotSoOmniscientCouncilOfBickering: The Council of Thirteen is usually crippled by every Lord of Decay having their contradicting agendas and thus they rarely coordinate the Skaven on a large enough scale to conduct noteworthy attacks on the surface. |
| 924 | * TheOmniscientCouncilOfVagueness: The Shadow Council of Thirteen, also called the 'Twelve Above the Twelve' is the daemonic, otherworldly version of the Council of Thirteen and are implied to be the [[TheManBehindTheMan true rulers of the Skaventide]]. They are made up of twelve [[OurDemonsAreDifferent Verminlords]] with the 13th seat being reserved for the Great Horned Rat. They meet in the Tower of Kavzar in Blight City, under a throne of pure warpstone. |
| 925 | * OneWheeledWonder: The Doomwheel, which has lasers and is powered by rats running inside it. It is one of the most recognizable, random and popular Skaven unit in the game by virtue of being a silly but deadly weapon. |
| 926 | * OurDemonsAreDifferent: The daemonic Verminlords are avatars of the Great Horned Rat with the physical and sorcerous might enough to slaughter armies. |
| 927 | * OurWormholesAreDifferent: Gnawholes are "uncanny burrows" that create tunnels in reality, allowing the Skaven to traverse between realms without needing a realmgate. Each clan has their own method of creating them, for example, [[PlagueMaster Clans Pestilens]] create virulent plagues that chew through reality, while [[MadScientist Clans Skryre]] use gigantic, reality-piercing drills. |
| 928 | * ProperlyParanoid: Every Skaven is out to get every other Skaven and they all know it. |
| 929 | * RatMen: A possible TropeCodifier for tabletop gaming, being one of the most famous and influential examples in the medium, and an archetypal example of Rat Men as swarming, sapient vermin closely tied to decay and disease. |
| 930 | * ResourcefulRodent: The Skaven are a race of rats living in underground cities and able to make devices such as the Ratling and technological devices using the Warpstone such as tools and power generation. The only reason why they haven't taken over the world yet is because they are infamously treacherous. |
| 931 | * RodentsOfUnusualSize: Even discounting the Rat Ogres and "Giant Rats", the Skaven themselves are usually only a little smaller than humans. Stormvermin, who are better fed than most other Skaven, tend to be around an male adult human's height and it can be presumed that if the average Skaven was actually fed well consistently enough, they'd usually be around human height. |
| 932 | * RuleOfCool: Why on earth do they have hamster wheels with lasers? Because it's cool and absolutely hilarious on the battlefield! |
| 933 | * SicklyGreenGlow: Due to the amount of Warpstone they use, this shows up all over the place. |
| 934 | * SlaveryIsASpecialKindOfEvil: Skaven are really big on enslaving their own kind, each clan and Skaven of importance having slaves they mistreat and in the case of servants cripple to ensure they cannot kill their masters. |
| 935 | * SmallNameBigEgo: No matter how lowly a Skaven may be, he's utterly convinced that only his brilliant plans after becoming the head of the Skaven race will lead to their utter supremacy under his wise rule. Anything that gets in the way to reaching this goal is totally because of [[NeverMyFault someone else's fault entirely]], and anyone who thinks they would be a better leader is obviously in the way of Skavendom's best. |
| 936 | * SneakySpySpecies: The Skaven are by nature secretive, vicious, and backstabbing, and serve as an extremely non-mercenary example of this culture: they're planning world domination, but rather than achieve this through traditional warfare, they have built a vast under-empire of tunnels through which they launch surprise attacks on the surface world - sometimes depopulating entire settlements in the process. Because of this approach, they're widely perceived as a myth by most human societies. Like all aspects of the Skaven character, this sneaky, devious aspect is embodied by one of the four Great Clans - this case, the mercenary Clan Eshin, who are composed entirely of spies, assassins, and poisoners. |
| 937 | * TheStarscream: An entire race of them. Every Skaven has an instinctive ambitious and traitorous streak and every subordinate plans to eventually overthrow their superiors through open challenges, "accidents", or plain backstabbing. The only reason their society hasn’t collapsed is that the Skaven are also too busy outdoing their equals to completely commit to overthrowing all of their superiors. |
| 938 | * StealthExpert: The hat of all Clans Eshin units from Night Runners to Assassins, whose stealthiness is represented in some way by special rules. For instance, the Night Runners are infiltrators and can move once before the start of the game whereas the Gutter Runners have the Scout special rule allowing them to appear as reinforcement from anywhere on the table. |
| 939 | * SwarmOfRats: |
| 940 | ** The preferred Skaven tactic is to exhaust the enemy by throwing thousands of Skaven at them, heedless of each individual Skaven's survival. |
| 941 | ** With their Vermintide spell, Skaven wizards can summon a tide of voracious rats that scurry forth and gnaw the battlefield. |
| 942 | * TailSlap: A Verminlord can snare and lash at foes with its prehensile tail. |
| 943 | * TunnelKing: The Skaven are the masters of quickly digging tunnels, even if they don't manage this safely. Their empire is almost entirely made of tunnels and underground holds and be it done with their claws or a warpstone drill, a Skaven will quickly dig from point A to point B even if half the time, the tunnel will collapse and kill him. Skavenslaves are usually the ones forced to be the diggers for this reason. |
| 944 | * TunnelNetwork: The Skaven have created ''tunnels through reality itself'' that they call Gnawholes that allow them to travel between realms. |
| 945 | * UndergroundCity: The Skaven almost exclusively live underground in complex networks of tunneled settlements which are dug and collapse daily. Some parts of these networks, controlled under one clan, could be generously called cities. Their capital Blight City is an notable aversion, having been placed on a floating island of warpstone by the Great Horned Rat when they carried the it from the World-That-Was in their jaws. |
| 946 | * VerbalTic: The Skaven have this, yes-yes. They'll kill-slay all the men-things, green-things and else-else. (To add emphasis for subjects they're mentioning in their statements, the Skaven are prone to [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment repeating the word or immediately following a word with a synonym]], and refer to all other species as "[species]-thing" or "[adjective]-thing".) |
| 947 | * VillainExitStageLeft: The spell Skitterleap allows the Grey Seers to teleport a character. Given no Skaven Lord or Hero is a real match for their counterparts in other armies, the best use of it is to actually teleport the character away from a losing battle. |
| 948 | * WeAREStrugglingTogether: Or to put it into any Skaven's own words, their genius and designs are not being properly recognized and is also being actively sabotaged by the treachery of their rivals...[[ProperlyParanoid the latter is actually true to some degree]], though likely [[SmallNameBigEgo not as much as they think]]. |
| 949 | * WeHaveReserves: Don't expect your life to be very valuable in Skaven society. No Skaven leader is foolish enough to fight in the front ranks, preferring to spend the lives of their minions instead. |
| 950 | * WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes: They have a crippling fear of the Seraphon, panicing at the mere sight of the reptilian Daemons of Order. |
| 951 | * WizardsLiveLonger: If they can survive the inherently dangerous politics of Skaven society, many Skaven magic users are able to live many years longer than the average lifespan of a Skaven. Whether this is due to life-extending magic, a quirk of Skaven biology or the blessing of their god, the Great Horned Rat, is unknown. |
| 952 | * YouDirtyRat: And proud of it. There is not a single Skaven that is not an irredeemable and unapologetic bastard. |
| 953 | * ZergRush: The Skaven's tendency to use swarms of infantry is reflected by how their special rule Strength in Numbers doubles the bravery bonus units receive for every 10 models, which combines effectively with how Skaven infantry are relatively cheap and get a discount if taken in large units. |
| 954 | [[/folder]] |
| 955 | |
| 956 | [[folder: Great Clans]] |
| 957 | * PlanetOfHats: Each Skaven clan has a very clear-cut identity and specialty, which all its members above rank-and-file cannon fodder adhere to. This is especially so for the Great Clans, which each define themselves along very specific lines of thought, profession and personal interest. |
| 958 | * PunnyName: They're all guilty of this, but Clans Eshin and Pestilens are especially egregious. Examples for [[StealthExpert Eshin]] include Slynk, Scurrie, and Stryk. [[PlagueMaster Pestilens]] has Skab, Septik, Retchid, and Vomix. |
| 959 | !The Six Great Clans |
| 960 | Skaven society is dominated by the six largest, oldest and most influential of the clans, which enjoy a level of power and social standing beyond that of any of the lesser ones and who provide specialist services for other Skaven to purchase for considerable prices. These are Clans Eshin, whose stealthy assassins never find dearth of work in Skaven politics; Clans Moulder, a collection of mutators and monster breeders who make their fortune selling off their assortments of war beasts and the services of their animal handlers; Clans Pestilens, which is as much a cult to disease as a political force; Clans Skryre, which provides the bulk of Skaven military technology; Clans Verminus, who produce the most aggressive and well-trained stormvermin; and finally Masterclan, the rulers of the entire Skaven Race.. |
| 961 | |
| 962 | !!Clans Verminus |
| 963 | [[quoteright:191:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/verminus.jpg]] |
| 964 | |
| 965 | The numerous and aggressive Verminus Clans specialize in the art of war, consisting of teeming masses of clanrats and stormvermin and venerate the Great Horned Rat in its aspect of the Great Conqueror. |
| 966 | ---- |
| 967 | * BodyguardingABadass: Stormvermin can tank wounds that were meant for a Skaven hero unit in game. The 'badass' part is debatable in universe depending on who hired the Stormvermin. |
| 968 | * CorneredRattlesnake: Verminus Clawlords have the ''Cornered Fury'' rule, meaning their attacks grow stronger the more wounds they take. |
| 969 | * GuardianEntity: Verminlord Warbringers go into battle protected by the Great Horned Rat's baleful gaze. |
| 970 | * HatePlague: The Verminlord Warbringer's ''Death Frenzy'' spell triggers the [[HorrorHunger Black Hunger]] in Skaven Clanrats, driving them into a froth-jawed murderous fury. |
| 971 | * HorseOfADifferentColor: Skaven Clawlords often charge into battle atop raging Brood Horrors, absolutely ''enormous'' rat monsters. The sight is usually intimidating enough to keep the Clanrats from routing. Usually. |
| 972 | * LastDitchMove: Models affected by a Verminlord Warbringer's ''Death Frenzy'' spell will try to pile in and attack a last time before expring in a rage that even death does not cool. |
| 973 | * WeHaveReserves: Though this trope applies to Skavendom as a whole, no clans practice it the same as Verminus. |
| 974 | * ZergRush: Verminus Clanrats rush into battle with a frenzied fury, tearing into enemies with weapons and teeth and crushing their fellow clanrats underneath their feet. |
| 975 | |
| 976 | !!Masterclan |
| 977 | [[quoteright:191:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/masterclan.jpg]] |
| 978 | |
| 979 | The rulers of the entire Skaven race, the Masterclan consists of two separate ruling councils and their immediate underlings. The first council, the Council of Thirteen, consists of the most influential Skaven alive, while the second, the Shadow Council, is made up of twelve powerful Verminlord Greater Daemons. Due to the traitorous nature of the Skaven, these two councils compete and plot against each other as much as their enemies. |
| 980 | ---- |
| 981 | * BrownNote: Warpgnaw Verminlords have access to the ''Splinter-Screech'' spell, which conjures an atonal shriek that rises in pitch until reality itself begins to crack. |
| 982 | * DragonInChief: Despite the boasting of the Grey Seers, Verminlords are ''not'' theirs to summon and they only maintain this illusion because it [[NeverMyFault gives them someone to blame when their plans go wrong]]. |
| 983 | * DrunkOnTheDarkSide: Where [[FantasticDrug warpstone]] is involved, smart Grey Seers are quite wary of the megalomania (which is extreme even by Skaven standards) that comes with the power chewing on warpstone gives. |
| 984 | * Evil Sorcerer: They are scheming, manipulative and treacherous to the last, and primarily wield magic intended to do intensely unpleasant things to people who earn their easily-obtained enmity. |
| 985 | * ForcedTransformation: Grey Seers with The Dreaded Thirteenth Spell can, with some luck, turn any infantry unit within distance and their line of sight into Verminus clan rats. |
| 986 | * ForDoomTheBellTolls: Grey Seers often ride into battle on a wagon with a Screaming Bell, an enchanted bell capable of evoking various magical effects, shattering enemey leadership, and providing various buffs to the Skaven battle line. |
| 987 | * HornedHumanoid: Grey Seers are blessed with curling ram-like horns as a sign of their power. Verminlords have twisting crowns of horns atop their heads. |
| 988 | * InstantWinCondition: If you use a Screaming Bell's Peal of Doom and manage to somehow score a 13 result when rolling a [=2D6=], you instantly win the game... which is completely impossible, since the maximum you will ever get in such a roll is 12 and the Screaming Bell's rule explicitly forbids modifiers from being applied to the roll. |
| 989 | * TheMagocracy: All Grey Seers and Verminlords are powerful sorcerers and are members of the Masterclan. |
| 990 | * MassTeleportation: Warpgnaw Verminlords can be set up in the twisting passages of the gnawholes between reality alongside Clanrats and Stormvermin, which you can choose to teleport to the battlefield during a movement phase. |
| 991 | * NotSoOmniscientCouncilOfBickering: The Council of Thirteen is always one second away from murdering each other. The only reason they don't is that they're more afraid of what the Great Horned Rat will do to the survivors. |
| 992 | * OmniscientCouncilOfVagueness: ''That said'', the Shadow Council is made exclusively of Verminlords - and while just as prone to bickering - usually take their job more seriously and are implied to be the real power behind the Skaventide. |
| 993 | * RandomEffectSpell: The Screaming Bell is a wildly unpredictable device whose exact effect is randomised by a die roll every time it's activated. |
| 994 | * RandomNumberGod: When using the Screaming Bell's Peal of Doom, you have to roll two dice and see what effect the peal has. The effects vary all the way from the Screaming Bell hurting itself if you're unlucky and roll a 2, or you getting a free Verminlord (which normally costs 220-320 points) if a 12 is scored. |
| 995 | * SorcerousOverlord: The Grey Seers are both the official sorcerers and foremost leaders of the Skaven by virtue of being visibly blessed by the Great Horned Rat. Despite their natural religious authority, however, their reign is challenged everywhere. |
| 996 | * WeAreStrugglingTogether: Most of the day to day business of the Council of Thirteen is vicious arguing and scheming. The only reason they haven't all killed eachother is because the Great Horned Rat won't let them. |
| 997 | * WeatherManipulation: The exclusive spell of the Verminlord Warpseer is Howling Warpgale. When this spell is cast, storm clouds blot the heavens, batter the enemy with fierce gales and strike them with warp lightning. |
| 998 | |
| 999 | !!Clans Skryre |
| 1000 | [[quoteright:191:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/clan_skryre.jpg]] |
| 1001 | |
| 1002 | The industrious Skryre clans combine arcane power with insane technology to produce highly destructive weapons that they sell to the other clans. |
| 1003 | ---- |
| 1004 | * CastFromHitPoints: The highly combustible oil within the Vial of the Fulminator accelerates Skryre war machines at the cost of inflicting wounds to them. |
| 1005 | * ChainLightning: Chain Warp Lightning, a spell in the Lore of Warpvolt Galvanism, careens across the battlefield, jumping from target to target, hitting all units within range (friend or foe). |
| 1006 | * FireBreathingWeapon: Arch-warlocks' Warpfire Gauntlets, Stormfiends' Warpfire Projectors and Warpfire Throwers can unleash sheets of deadly flame. |
| 1007 | * GatlingGood: [[PunnyName Ratling]] guns are large, multi-barrelled weapons capable of firing a hail of warpstone bullets that can be given to Stormfiends. |
| 1008 | * LightningGun: Warp Lightning Cannons fire bolts of warp lightning that scour all in their path. |
| 1009 | * MadScientist: Skryre products include Warpstone shooting gatling guns, cannons that fire green lasers, and giant armoured hamster wheels that throw off green lightning indiscriminately. |
| 1010 | * OneHitKill: The Brass Orb can instantly remove an enemy model from the battlefield, no matter their wounds (if it actually works that is). |
| 1011 | * RandomNumberGod: The Brass Orb, a one-use item that can instantly kill an enemy model within 6'' on a die roll of 6+. While it is tremendously unreliable, if it actually works you can instantly remove a model like Archaon or Nagash from the table (no matter their wounds) with a lowly Warlock Engineer. |
| 1012 | * ShockAndAwe: Warlock Engineers can cast Warp Lightning, which causes a bolt of greenish-black lightning to arc from his hands to the enemy. Arch-warlocks have a more powerful but harder to cast version called Warpstorm, which fires up to three such bolts at up to three enemy units. |
| 1013 | * ThrowDownTheBomblet: Skryre Acolytes carry poisoned wind globes which are thrown at enemies like grenades and choke them with warpstone gas. |
| 1014 | |
| 1015 | !!Clans Eshin |
| 1016 | [[quoteright:191:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/eshin.jpg]] |
| 1017 | |
| 1018 | The Clans Eshin are mysterious and deadly, in a society in which treachery is an art form they are the masters of stealth, assassination and spying. Seemingly apolitical, the Clans Eshin are, from the outside anyway, stable and free from infighting. They offer all the other clans their expert skills of death dealing and espionage with agents and assassins that can-not be matched. |
| 1019 | |
| 1020 | ---- |
| 1021 | * BodyDouble: Important leaders among the Eshin Clans are said to use look-a-likes when interacting with other Skaven. |
| 1022 | * DeviousDaggers: As befitting a group of stealthy assassins, knives are the premier weapon for the Clans Eshin. |
| 1023 | * FantasyCounterpartCulture: The Clans Eshin has a lot of Japanese elements, particularly focusing upon Ninja aesthetics. |
| 1024 | * LostInACrowd: [[EliteMooks Eshin Deathmasters]] often hide amongst formations of Skaven Clanrats until the opurtune moment to strike. |
| 1025 | * MasterPoisoner: Assassin adepts typically make extensive use of poison in their deadly art, and can prepare a great variety of specialized and intensely deadly toxins to deliver through tainted food, a blow dart from the shadows or the edge of a weeping blade. |
| 1026 | * {{Ninja}}: Eshin Clanrats makes heavy use of ninja trappings and aesthetics such an emphasis on stealth, espionage and assassinations, shuriken, and all-concealing black outfits. |
| 1027 | * NiceJobFixingItVillain: The Eshin Clan Slynk is partially responsible for causing the [[WorldWreckingWave Necro-Quake]]. |
| 1028 | * OOCIsSeriousBusiness: In a race made up entirely of [[ProperlyParanoid paranoid]] [[EvilIsHammy over the top]] RatMen, the Clans Eshin kind of stick out. |
| 1029 | * ParanoiaFuel: In-universe, the Clans Eshin deliberately cultivates an image of being deadly, unavoidable killers that could be hiding in every shadow and whom no-one and nothing is safe from. The fear of being paid a visit by Eshin agents is never far from ambitious Skaven's minds, and this hanging threat is often as effective a tool in quelling rebellions as the actual assassinations. |
| 1030 | * ProfessionalKiller: While they also provide scouts, spies and light skirmishing troops, the most notable service provided by Clans Eshin is the use of its assassins. Eshin assassins have a very well-earned reputation for being stealthy, ruthless and efficient killers, and will mercilessly hunt down and execute anyone whom their current employers wish dead. |
| 1031 | * StealthyColossus: Despite its large size, the Verminlord Deceiver's power lies in stealth. It moves in clouds of shadow, obfuscating even those around them. |
| 1032 | * StealthExpert: The hat of all Eshin units from Night Runners to Assassins, whose stealth is represented in some way by special rules. For instance, the Night Runners are infiltrators and can move once before the start of the game whereas the Gutter Runners have the Scout special rule allowing them to appear as reinforcement from anywhere on the table. |
| 1033 | * StockNinjaWeaponry: Clans Eshin makes heavy use of these as part of their general ninja gimmick, most prominently shuriken, handheld and throwing daggers, and shuko hand-claws. |
| 1034 | |
| 1035 | !!Clans Moulder |
| 1036 | [[quoteright:191:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/clan_moulder.jpg]] |
| 1037 | |
| 1038 | Flesh-crafters and beastshapers, the Clans Moulder create the monstrous war beast used by the other Skaven Clans and are renowned for their insane experiments that attempt to mix biology, technology and dark magic. |
| 1039 | ---- |
| 1040 | * FleshGolem: The Hell Pit Abomination is a collection of creatures who were crudely stitched together and thrown into a magical pit to form a giant monster. |
| 1041 | * RightHandAttackDog: Some Moulder Packmasters enter battle accompanied by a prized and vicious Wolf Rat. |
| 1042 | |
| 1043 | !!Clans Pestilens |
| 1044 | [[quoteright:191:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/clan_pestilens.jpg]] |
| 1045 | |
| 1046 | The diseased Skaven of of the Clans Pestilens are religious fanatics who worship the Great Horned Rat in its aspect of the Great Corrupter. Alongside their mission to spread death and decay throughout the Mortal Realms, the Clans Pestilens are searching for the Thirteen Great Plagues for the Great Horned Rat and have successfully uncovered seven of these deadly and mysterious diseases. |
| 1047 | ---- |
| 1048 | * GameplayAndStorySegregation: In the lore, it's stated that Plague Monks are so hardened by their diseases that they can take a lot of punishment before dying. In-game, they're about the most fragile troops you can field: they have only one wound, and don't get to make regular save rolls. |
| 1049 | * GlassCannon: Plague Monks and Plague Censer Bearers only have one wound and no save roll to speak of -- if something hurts them, they're going down. But if they get close enough, there's a very good chance they'll [[TakingYouWithMe take their enemies with them]]. In fact, in the case of censer bearers, just standing near them is enough to kill you. |
| 1050 | * NoSell: For reasons which should be obvious, Nurgle troops are immune to most of the diseases fielded by the Clans Pestilens. |
| 1051 | * SpamAttack: A single plague monk is unlikely to pose a threat on its own. However, they can travel in packs of up to 40. Now consider this: the average plague monk makes two attacks per turn, and if armed with two foetid blades, can re-roll failed hit rolls (they score a hit on a 4+). When they complete a charge move, they make ''three'' attacks per turn instead. |
| 1052 | * SpellBook: The Liber Bubonicus, inscribed with the lore of corrupt magic, contains the secrets of every pestilence in the Realms. |
| 1053 | * TheSymbiote: Blistrevious, the Living Cyst is a sentient pustule that migrates from host to host, whispering ravings to drive the host into a frenzy. |
| 1054 | [[/folder]] |
| 1055 | |
| 1056 | [[folder:Characters]] |
| 1057 | !!Skreech Verminking |
| 1058 | [[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/skreech_verminking_aos.png]] |
| 1059 | |
| 1060 | A powerful Verminlord, Skreech Verminkin is said to have been created from twelve Lords of Decay who displeased the Great Horned Rat. Skreech has served as the herald of the Skaven god, quelling a particularly violent civil war during the Age of Chaos so that the Great Clans could work towards increasing the power and influence of the Great Horned Rat instead. |
| 1061 | ---- |
| 1062 | * ForcedTransformation: Skreech Verminking is capable of casting the Dreaded Thirteenth Spell, which kills enemies and transforms them into Skaven under his control. |
| 1063 | |
| 1064 | !!Grey Seer Thanquol |
| 1065 | [[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/thanquolandboneripper.jpg]] |
| 1066 | |
| 1067 | A powerful but paranoid Grey Seer, Thanquol manipulates those around him wherever possible. In battle, Thanquol rides on the back of the massive mutant Rat Ogre Bonerippa, unleashing powerful magic against those who deny his greatness. |
| 1068 | ---- |
| 1069 | * AmuletOfConcentratedAwesome: Thanquol has a Warp-amulet, giving him basically the ability to regenerate lost wounds. |
| 1070 | * TheArchmage: While Thanquol's ability is... questionable in most other things, he is genuinely highly powerful as a Grey Seer. |
| 1071 | * BackFromTheDead: Despite [[DroppedABridgeOnHim being implied to have been killed offscreen]] in ''The End Times: Archaon'', Thanquol comes back alive and well in ''Age of Sigmar''. Boneripper too, although [[RunningGag that's to be expected]]. After all, it is unthinkable to kill Thanquol and Boneripper off after they just received a new model in ''End Times: Thanquol''. |
| 1072 | * DrunkOntheDarkSide: Thanquol is highly addicted to Warpstone. While it increases his magical abilities significantly, it also leaves him a gibbering loon. |
| 1073 | * DumbMuscle: Not Thanquol, but he exploits this through his rat ogre companions and bodyguards, always named Boneripper. Thanquol specifically trains rat ogres to be his personal guards due to how strong and intimidating they are, along with being too stupid to betray him like other Skaven would be. |
| 1074 | * EvilSorcerer: He's a Grey Seer. It comes with the territory. And when he's amped up on [[FantasticDrug warpstone dust]], he can pull off some impressive feats of magical power. |
| 1075 | * FireBreathingWeapon: Boneripper can be armed with Warpfire Projectors that fire sheets of flame or with Warpfire Braziers that trail green flame at close range. |
| 1076 | * FunctionalAddict: Like most Grey Seers, Thanquol is addicted to Warpstone but is quite resistant to their effects. On the tabletop, he can reroll the Wound roll when he uses a Warpstone token. |
| 1077 | * LegacyCharacter: This particular incarnation of Boneripper is only the latest in a series of rat ogres created specifically to serve as Thanquol's bodyguards, all of which are named Boneripper. |
| 1078 | * MagicStaff: His Staff of the Great Horned Rat allows Thanquol to know an increase the effects of the spells he casts. |
| 1079 | * TheMagnificent: He's referred to by the other forces of Chaos as "the Grey Lord". |
| 1080 | * MultiArmedAndDangerous: This incarnation of Boneripper has a total of four arms. |
| 1081 | * TimeAbyss: He was born in the World-That-Was and lived through the End Times and the entire history of the Mortal Realms, to become what's likely the oldest living Skaven in existence. |
| 1082 | [[/folder]] |
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FollowingContext Characters / WarhammerAgeOfSigmarGrandAllianceChaos
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