Age of Sigmar/Tactics/Malign Sorcery

Malign Sorcery started as an optional expansion for Age Of Sigmar which introduces Endless Spells - persistent spells with models that can be used by wizards in any army.

Other rules introduced, such as realm specific spells and additional play types and battleplans have been replaced as of GHB2020, and GHB2021 has effectively canned the realm-specific aspects of each rule.. If you still want to use them, then they're here

How To Use

Endless Spells (and Invocations, their priestly equivalents) are such significant investments that they need to be paid for. For this reason, you will need to pay for them with points, the costs being either in your army's battletome if not in the GHB as of GHB2021.

During the hero phase, the wizard (or priest for Invocations) has to roll to cast as normal, with a roll over this value summoning the Endless Spell/Invocation. From this point onward the spell will remain in play until it is dispelled or it reaches the edge of the table.

• To dispel, your wizard or priest has to roll 2d6 with the target being the Endless Spell's casting value. Rolling over the value will banish the spell. Note that while both wizards and priests can dispel Endless Spells, only priests can dispel Invocations. Also, a priest who dispels an Endless Spell sacrifices one of the prayers they can make for that turn in order to do this.
• Predatory Endless Spells are those that can move around on their own after being summoned. In each hero phase, Predatory Endless Spell that is within 30" of the wizard who summoned it can be considered controlled and thus can be moved around by that player. Since a wizard can only control one Predatory Endless Spell each hero phase, any others are deemed wiled, and thus who controls them is decided via alternating activations.

Endless Spells

These are a variety of Endless Spells that are available to all armies. Many battletomes have their own faction only endless spells, so be sure to look at their respective tactica pages.

Non-realm Specific

• (gone in 3rd ed)Balewind Vortex (40 pts, CV 5+): Remember those little tornado-platforms that wizards could grab back in Storm of Magic and gave them a couple neat perks? Yeah, that's back. It's also only available to squishy solo wizards with less than 9 wounds (Though if you think it's ever possible for Nagash or Archaon to even sit on that with their fat asses, we'd love to see it work). Unfortunately, it can't move, but considering your wizard gets a free spell, a range increase of +6" to all their spells, and a +1 to all saves, they'd be hard-pressed to find a reason not to use this for a caster-heavy wizard.
  • Curiously, this hasn't showed up in GHB2021. Perhaps this will be squatted soon...?
• Aethervoid Pendulum (65pts, CV 5+): This is something you set up if you want a disposable weapon to kill. It doesn't even attack in the traditional sense, it just moves in a direction and anything it passes just eats d3 mortal wounds as do those near it after it stops. The one issue it has is that it's mobility is locked in straight lines (and has been clarified not to run backward like a real pendulum would) so you have to prioritize your targets. Of course, compared to other Predatory Endless Spells that are liable to turn against you, this is more of a bonus than it is a downside.

AZYR

• Chronomantic Cogs (45 pts, CV 6+): This is a setpiece for any wizard. It can't move, but it allows any wizard on the caster's side within 6" to either speed up time (adding +1 to charge rolls for anyone within 18" of the spell) or slow down time (allowing wizards within 6" to cast another spell and re-roll saves) during the Hero phase. One has very limited applications that require a frontline caster, the other pretty much relies on one side capitalizing on the speed boost.

AQSHY

• The Burning Head (20 pts, CV 7+) :This spell is no longer a support spell, reverting to being essentially a magical cannonball. Any units it crosses suffer d3 mortal wounds on a 2+, making it decent at denting elite models and heroes more than anything. However, it lacks any lasting power and it will immediately vanish after flying once.

CHAMON

• Quicksilver Swords (90 pts, CV 6+): This particular spell is pretty much made to drown enemies with mortal wounds. Once it moves, you select a single unit within 6". You then roll 12 die and deals a mortal wound for every 6+. This is pretty much here to dispose of any mob of elites or monsters, stopping short of felling the really big guys. Ward Saves can't be taken against mortals wounds this puts out. This is now a counter to Amulet of Destiny.

GHUR

• Ravenak's Gnashing Jaws (55 pts, CV 6+): This is another pure-offense spell, remarkable for it's impressive move range of 3d6". Moving it across a model allows you to roll a number of dice equal to its move distance, dealing a mortal wound on a 6. Because of the swinginess of these dice, this can make the spell a potential dud.

GHYRAN

• Emerald Lifeswarm (60 pts, CV 6+): This particular spell is worth it if you lack any healers or ways to resurrect dead models. What it does is heal d3 wounds or resurrect a number of models with wounds equal to that roll. This proves to be especially useful in armies like Cities of Sigmar, where you lack any native means of restoring models.

HYSH

• Prismatic Palisade (40 pts, CV 5+): A big old magic wall you can slap between you and those scary looking cannons/catapults/shooty bois and it completely denies line of sight. Now it suffers no drawbacks aside from just being a spell that sits there, though even this might be enough to make an arrogant enemy to waste a dispel on it.
• Geminids of Uhl-Gysh (80 pts, CV 6+): Downgraded from last edition, the two pieces of this predatory spell are now indistinguishable from each other. Anyone it crosses over is now subject to a mortal wound and anyone who suffers it is also unable to accept orders.

SHYISH

• Suffocating Gravetide (50 pts, CV 6+): Amusingly, this predatory spell is more prone to clearing units than the legendary purple sun. This one allows you to roll a number of dice equal to the number of models it flew over.
• Soulsnare Shackles (65 pts, CV 7+): By summoning this triad of towers, you get to make a rather big zone of unsafe terrain to discourage any direct charges. Anyone within 6" of one of these can't charge or run and each turn, they also potentially deal d3 mortal wounds, making this a big slow zone more dangerous than the ordinary terrain.
• Purple Sun of Shyish (70 pts, CV 8+): BEHOLD, FOR THE PURPLE SUN OF XEREUS RETURNS TO RUIN SHIT! This giant purple ball of fun isn't quite as powerful as before, as it no longer kills any models and instead just deals mortal wounds (d3 on a 2-5, d6 on a 6) to anyone it flies over.
  • Unique among endless spells, this particular one requires a roll each turn to wrestle control of it, with a 5+ meaning that it's broken free and has now run berserk. Because of this, it makes the purple sun very much of a desperation nuke that you throw if you really just want the world to burn.
• Malevolent Maelstrom (65 pts, CV 5+): Here is a giant whirlpool of death and destruction, useful only if you point it away from your side. It'll suck up any spells cast around it and steal the souls of any destroyed units and increase its own counter. After every round of fighting, you then roll a d6, add your points to the result and if you get a 10+, the spell blows up and deals d3 mortal wounds to everyone within 12".
• Horrorghast (65 pts, CV 6): A predatory spell that's made to break massed troops. Anyone within 12" can't accept commands and if they fail a battleshock test, they will suffer +d3 more casualties.
• Soulscream Bridge (70 pts, CV 6+): A spell with a great range of 18", allowing you to cover great distances. A unit wholly within 6" of one half can use it to teleport to the other for their movement. Useful for bypassing impassable terrain or to give a unit about a lengthy move, but it means that they won't be able to move any further this turn.
• Shards Of Valagharr (70 pts, CV 5+): Creates a tripwire between the two Shards that halves the movement of those that move between them and blocks flight. This unfortunately won't hurt anyone, but it's capable of being a serious inconvenience, especially for those massive setpiece heroes who rely on their flight to get places.
• Lauchon The Soulseeker (55 pts, CV 6+): A Predatory Transport. Before it moves, the controlling player can have a wizard board it and then disembark after it moves, taking a mortal wound as fare.

ULGU

• Umbral Spellportal (70 pts, CV 5+): You get two doors that connect to each other with a distance of 18". Wizards can cast a spell from one door and have it shoot out the other side and an endless spell just jump through the doors.
• Geminids of Uhl-Gysh (80 pts, CV 6+): Downgraded from last edition, the two pieces of this predatory spell are now indistinguishable from each other. Anyone it crosses over is now subject to a mortal wound and anyone who suffers it is also unable to accept orders.

Age of Sigmar Tactics Articles
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Order	Cities of Sigmar Daughters of Khaine Fyreslayers Idoneth Deepkin Kharadron Overlords Lumineth Realm-Lords Seraphon Stormcast Eternals Sylvaneth
Chaos	Beasts Of Chaos Blades of Khorne Disciples of Tzeentch Hedonites of Slaanesh Maggotkin of Nurgle Skaven Slaves to Darkness
Death	Flesh-Eater Courts Nighthaunt Ossiarch Bonereapers Soulblight Gravelords
Destruction	Gloomspite Gitz Ogor Mawtribes Orruk Warclans Sons of Behemat
Others	Monstrous Arcanum Legends Old Rules