GENERAL CHANGES
The list contains no Cultists. No mention of them at all. In fact,
there are no more Mortal units added to the very tiny number
previously in HoC at all, unless you count the Giant and Hellcannon.
It's worth adding though, that the new list removes many options for
Chaos players, such as Bloodletters, Bestigors, Daemonettes, Great
Unclean Ones, Shaggoths, Ogres, Horrors, Screamers, Minotaurs,
Nurglings, Dragon Ogres, Bloodthirsters, Tuskgor Chariots, Keepers of
Secrets, Centigors, Plaguebearers, Furies, Lords of Change, Flesh
Hounds and some other stuff besides. So, you know, a lot.
MARKS
First of all, the Mark of Chaos Undivided is gone.
The Marks have the same effects for Lords, Heroes, Warriors, Knights
and Chariots (Daemon Princes are the sole exception). Sorry, don't
have points costs.
Khorne – Frenzy. Proper frenzy that affects mounts, not the
bizarre "only exception in the whole of Warhammer" old frenzy they
used to have. Dispel dice are gone (no Magic Resistance either).
Nurgle – Fear (no extra wounds)
Slaanesh – Immune to Psychology
Tzeentch – 6+ Ward Save. Sorcerers can choose from any Lores in the
Warhammer rulebook.
And whilst we're on the subject of Lores… the Lores of Nurgle,
Slaanesh and Tzeentch are gone. Non-Tzeentch Sorcerers can choose
from Fire, Death and Shadow. I was hoping they'd retain some level of
coolness and bring back the option for Heavens (like in the old
Ravening Hordes list), but alas, that would be too imaginative.
The Mark of your General has no effect upon Army Composition and
units can be mixed in the army freely. Feel free to abuse the Chaos
background as you see fit.
LORDS
The list has three Lord options, and indeed three options for Heroes,
Core, Special and Rare too. 15 options in the whole army…Christ…
Chaos Lords have the same statline as currently and, as with every
character in the list bar Daemon Princes, are 10 points cheaper.
Nothing much to say here except that their weapons options are
preposterously expensive – 20 points for a great weapon, 15 for a
halberd, extra hand weapon and flail. The award for "most amusingly
and blisteringly stupid decision of the list" goes to the person who
decided to make a shield cost 15 points for a Lord, when the
Enchanted Shield is still available for 10…
Exalted Sorcerers are 10 points cheaper and use the Lores mentioned
previously.
Both these two have access to a Chaos Dragon, which has exactly the
same stats and points cost as present. Breath weapon attacks have
been tweaked though – one is Strength 3, the other is Strength 2 and
Armour Piercing.
Chaos Steeds are unchanged. Daemonic Mounts (which now stand in for
Juggernauts, Boob-Snakes and Discs too…sigh…) have changed
dramatically in line with the Daemon's list – same cost and statline
as currently, but with only one Wound, +1 Initiative and a drop in Ld
(bizarrely). Characters also have the option of a Chariot for +100
points, same as normal entry except they displace one of the crew.
Daemon Princes are still in, but without Daemonic Gifts. Stats the
same except they have Initiative 7 for some reason. Daemonic is out,
Immune to Psychology, Stubborn, 5+ Ward Save and Magical Attacks are
in. 50 points more expensive than they currently are. Marks as below:
Khorne – Frenzy, Magic Reistance. Think it's MR 1, but I'm not
certain, sorry.
Nurgle – Toughness 6.
Slaanesh – Always Strikes First
Tzeentch – 4+ Ward
HEROES
Exalted Champions are Toughness 5. It's a stupid decision since,
combined with the points drop of 10, it makes upgrading Aspiring
Champion to Exalted for +20 points an even more no-brainer choice
than it is now.
Sorcerors drop 10, as do Aspiring Champions. As currently, only
Aspiring Champions can be a BSB, which is the only possible reason to
consider taking one (especially since they can't ride Daemonic Steeds
either). Both Champions continue the trend of ridiculously costed
weaponry.
CORE
Warriors of Chaos drop to 12 points in a rare instance of Games
Developer sanity. No other changes that I can tell, except that ANY
unit can take a Magic Banner under 50 points (which, as you'll see
from the Magic Items section, isn't really an advantage…) and Chosen
upgrades cost +5 points a model now.
Marauders are the same except commands are more expensive, since lord
knows that +10 points for +1 Attack was so game-breakingly unbalanced
right now. Warhounds are unchanged, still don't take up Core, which
means you HAVE to include Marauders or Warriors on foot in your army.
Why do you hate me GW?
SPECIAL
Knights are now Special and cost 5 points less a model than before,
with a Chosen upgrade now + 10 points. Any units can take Magic
Banners now. I would have liked to see S4 with a very expensive
option for a Lance (so, you know, people can use their old models)
but what're you gonna do.
Chariots get a large points break and cost 100 points. 2 can be taken
as one Special choice (cos that's far less unbalanced than Goblin
Chariots, apparently).
Marauder Horsemen are now Special. Apparently, I must be very stupid,
because to my puny intellect this seems like an incomprehensibly
moronic decision. Throwing axes cost only 1 point and the option for
Shields is gone. Feel free to continue buying shielded horsemen in
the shops though.
RARE
Giants and Hellcannons are in, with Hellcannons taking up two Rare
choices. Apparently, the team at WD decided that too much space in
the article was taken up with the sheer multitudes of other units in
the Chaos list to justify printing the rules for these. Which means
you'll have to buy Storm of Chaos and Beasts of Chaos to use them.
Yay.
Spawn are here too, same points, same rules, except the option to
customise your Spawn to make them interesting and unique is gone.
Why…?
MAGIC ITEMS
VAST numbers of Magic Items have been cut from the list, with nothing
given in return. I'm going to lay off with the criticism for this
mind, since it is just a get-you-by list after all (though a simple
note "Don't take Daemons with your Hordes list" and leaving it at
that would have made this whole process much easier…)
The cost of Common Magic Items is constant, except the Biting Blade
(5 points) and Sword of +1 Attackeyness (20 points). Amusingly, this
means that for a Chaos Lord, the Sword of +1 Attack and an Enchanted
Shield costs the same as a shield and additional hand weapon.
5 Magic Weapons. The Chaos Runesword is 60 points, for each wound
caused by the character (in combat?) they gain one wound themselves.
Chaos Daemon Sword (50 points) gives +1 WS, +1 S and +1 A, with any
rolls of a one to hit attacking the character bearing it. Whip of
Pleasure is down to 40 points but otherwise unchanged, Filth Mace and
Axe of Khorne are the same as now.
4 Magic Armours. Chaos Runeshield, Armour of Damnation, Bane Shield
and Crimson Armour of Dargan. All exactly the same as now.
2 Talismans. Crown of Everlasting Conquest (no change), Golden Eye of
Tzeentch (now 40 points). Collar of Khorne has been moved to
Enchanted Items, see later.
3 Arcane Items. Staff of Change costs 70 points and no longer
exhausts itself when it actually does something useful. Skull of
Katam remains unchanged. There's a new kind of Familiar, Chaos
Familiar, which gives +1 Power Dice and +1 Dispel Dice for 40 points.
2 Enchanted Items. Helm of Many Eyes is still in unaltered
(surprisingly, actually) and the Collar of Khorne has been moved
here, costing 25 points and providing a Magic Resistance of 3.
2 Magic Banners, which since one costs 125 points makes the
whole "any unit can take a Magic Banner of 50 points or less" kind of
pointless. Banner of the Gods and Banner of Wrath are largely
unchanged, except the Gods now has a much more useful range of 12"
and the Wrath now comes with a Power Level of 5.
