Age of Sigmar/Tactics/Edition 1.0/Stormcast Eternals

Lo and behold the might of the Sigmarines! Stormcast Eternals!

Stormcast Eternals Summary

If you wanna hit hard, have always multiple wounds and fight for the Emperahhhh Sigmar, the Stormcast Eternals are for you! Stormcast Eternals all have at least a 4+ save and 2 wounds per model making them a really tough force to take down in hand to hand combat. At the moment they seem more focused on having X models and ensuring those X models survive until the end of the game through various hero abilities (immune to battleshock, regain wounds, increase the already durable (for AoS atleast) 4+ sv and +'s to hit). At the same time, each unit is able to punch above its proverbial weight, with the more elite units hitting like a freight train and being just as difficult to stop. For now, they are a generalist army that's easy to learn and hard to master, much like their 40k cousins.

Stormcast Eternals Warscrolls

Forenote: The following section will be arranged with similar units and formations being grouped together for easier reading.

This is by no means a complete guide. Also due to the relatively recent release of Age of Sigmar most of this is based on theory. Take everything with a pinch of salt. There will be a Battletome (Read: Codex) that'll probably refine eveyrthing and add more formations.

Named characters

Celestant-Prime: While not exactly named, this here is your unique character to hold you over while we wait for the rules for Sigmar that'll probably also come whenever FW decides to make rules for that Turkish bastard. The Prime has a very powerful shooting attack, being basically what the Celestant on Dracoth wishes he could do by tossing a comet onto the battlefield. His close combat potentially first seems lacking, having only 2 attacks, though with a devastating profile, but for every turn you don't set him up, he gains two additional attacks with Ghal Maraz - and that doesn't mention that whenever he deploys, all enemies within 12" of him suffer -2 Bravery until his next Hero Phase. Unfortunately, Age of Sigmar games tend to be over by turn three, so the use he sees in all but the biggest games is somewhat limited. Let's put it this way: Nagash will kick his ass. The Glottkin will kick his ass. Archaon... will probably think twice, as might the Mortarchs. The point is, this guy only looks like a combat monster, but he's really your artillery equivalent, except for really big games, where you can afford to leave him off the table for two or three turns.

Heroes

Lord-Celestant on Dracoth: A guy in pompous golden armour and a big cloak who swings a giant warhammer and rides a dragon on lightning. Couldn't be more Power Metal if he tried. He's very killy in close combat and his command ability grants a huge bubble in which Stormcast Eternals don't have to take Battleshock. His ranged attack is potentially devastating, but only if the enemy was stupid enough to bunch up all his important stuff and you get very lucky. due to being mounted he moves at a fast pace and has 7 wounds as opposed to the "general" hero base of 5, this guy is hard hitting, fast and durable meaning you want him up in the frontline bubbling his command umbrella while leading the charge.

Lord-Celestant: A strong hero on foot that can do an average of 1.75 mortal wounds in the shooting phase and 1,77 damage at -1 rend + 0,66 damages in the melee phase (improved if he charged). His command ability make the Stormcast Eternals units around him (including himself) more precise (+1 to hit) in the combat phase. At first, he seems to lose out to his brother on the Dracoth, but in the end you simply exchange personal killing power against powerful support that might end up being worth more than the hilariously unreliable breath attack of the Dracoth.

Lord-Relictor: A mediocre foot-slogger who can control the storms. This means he can choose to either heal a friendly model for D3 wounds, best used on other Heroes, or to loose what is basically Arcane Bolt without a casting roll on an enemy, with the slight difference that anyone hit also takes a To Hit-penalty in the following turn. As the original author has put, The Relictor is less of a choppy Conan character and more of a support choice. while no slouch in combat he isn't as good as a lord celestant of any type, but that's not why you take him. Best use for him is in the "secondary" line using his healing buff to keep your men in fighting shape and lending a hand with the lightning storm anywhere they're struggling, heroes and paladins of all types will find him a very good "best bud". The comparison between him and the lord celestant is explained quite easily as this, the celestant is the fighter of the party while the Relictor is the chaplain cleric. Remember the healing storm doesn't actually bring things back to life, it only heals stuff that's still alive.

Lord-Castellant: 1 wound more than the standard hero on foot, this hero is slightly better than Lord-Celestant in the combat phase (2,66 damages at -1 rend and 2" range). His ability inflict 1 mortal wound to a chaos unit or an average of 1,5 mortal wounds to a chaos daemon unit. It can otherwise make Stormcast Eternals units more resistant and occasionally heal them. As above, the celestant may be the fighter, the relictor is probably the cleric and the Castellant is definitely the paladin, he's at home up front where the celestant could be (though the castellant lacks any command ability of his own) but equally at home in the secondary line warding your Eternals with his lantern (wording means that you can gain and lose wounds at the same time while your units will have a majority 3+ save thanks to him) or even as a semi beastmaster if he fights with a bunch of gryph hounds in close proximity. His lantern's other ability is very nice if a little circumstantial, autosniping a chaos maurader equivalent or letting him damage deamons something fierce without even trying. Finishing off a chaos hero who's down to his last wound is fun. All in all he's a flexible choice. similar but different to the relictor, he's good at buffing up units that are going to be taking some saves ensuring you've got enough men to hold on that little bit longer.

Knight-Venator: Your flying shooty Hero. Has a whole bunch of good shots at a ridiculously high 30" range, but is by far the worst Stormcast Hero in melee. He can also shoot a special arrow once per game that can either hurt a Monster real bad or murder the face off of a normal Hero with D6+3 Damage. Just let the guy hunt important stuff and use his bullshit range to stay the hell away from the enemy.

Knight-Azyros: Your flying support Hero. Has the same lacking melee profile as the Relictor, but gets 3(!) special rules to make up for it. One is huge in concert with the Thunderstrike Brotherhood, providing basically a homing beacon that lets you ignore the 9"-from-the-enemy restriction so long as your deep strikers hug the Azyros, the next lets shooty Stormcasts reroll 1s To Hit if their target is close to the Azyros (which would be much more awesome if most shooty Stormcasts couldn't already do just that) and finally he can forgo moving, charging and fighting to deal a bunch of Mortal Wounds to all enemy units within 8" once per game. If you find a situation where this is useful, go for it. Otherwise, the guy isn't a powerhouse, but he doesn't want to be. If you want him, simply tweak your army a bit to accomodate him. Prosecutors with Javelins profit a lot from his buff and a Thunderstrike Brotherhood might utterly annihilate opponents thanks to him.

Knight-Heraldor: Your only Hero with a 4+ save. In melee, his profile is slightly worse than the Relictor and the Azyros. Why do you use him? Because he's got a big, honking Trumpet. With it, he can make a Stormcast unit run and charge or retreat and charge AND cause damage to opponents huddled up in a terrain piece. Pick a Chaos Dreadhold and cackle maniacally righteously.

Knight-Vexillor: Your Standard Bearer. In melee, he's a Hammer-Liberator with twice the attacks and he can have a pick of two banners. No matter which you pick, Stormcast Eternals around him get to reroll charge rolls. In addition, the banners have these effects: The Meteoric Standard grants you a one-shot version of the Prime's Cometstrike Scepter, which means a big boom. The Pennant of the Stormbringer, on the other hand, lets you pick up a Stormcast unit and then redeploy it anywhere so long as you stay 3" away from enemies, almost guaranteeing a charge. After that, you can cause mortal wounds for everything closeby. Sure, that's also one-use, but it's absolute murder.

Troops

Liberators: Your basic melee troop, strong with an average resistance (4+ and 2 wounds). Sigmar tweaked those to be used against the strongest chaos enemies, so, always go for the biggest model on the field. Now let's talk a little about weapon options, because you can have four different flavours of liberators. If you want to arm them with a weapon and shield, don't bother choosing one, the math is the same (0,66 damage per model and you can reroll save rolls of 1 improving them from 50% to 58%) so long as there are no buffs and other special rules to change the odds. As soon as you double up on weapons, the Hammers gain a slight edge. When their Lay Low The Tyrants rule comes into effect, the Hammers win out. If you have a Celestant on foot to buff their hit rolls, the Hammers win out. Even if you add both special rules and the Swords hit on 1+ (automatically, basically), they still lose out to the Hammers, though you should not underestimate the psychological edge of only needing one roll to hit and wound. Really though, the differences between Sword and Hammer are so marginal you won't really see them, just remember that your Liberators get a lot better at punching if you heap on the buffs, going from 0,66 Wounds up to 1,29 Wounds per model if you do it juuust right. Always choose to add the special weapon (same efficiency again between the two, but doubled compared to the normal weapons and with a -1 rend). But even with all this, don't start to believe that your Liberators are powerful melee units, as a lot of stuff will outclass them on a Wound-to-Damage basis, but what they can do is outlast most of those.

Judicators: your basic ranged troop, same stats of the Liberators. They can reroll hit rolls of 1 against chaos in the shooting phase. If you arm them with Skybolt Bow you can do 0,44 damage per model with -1 rend at 24". With boltstorm crossbow you can do 0,66 damage per model with at 12" and if you don't move this number goes up to 0,99 damage per model. As with Liberators, always add the special weapon (1,54 damages per model with -1 rend at 24" for the Shockbolt Bow, 1,5 mortal wounds with the Thunderbolt Crossbow if it hits; the larger the target unit, the better your chances. It has a 1 in 3 chance of hitting a lone monster, so it's not a terrible idea if there aren't any blobs of Chaos Warriors around to blow up. In melee you do an average of 0,33 damage, the bare minimum to reply in combat, which is where these guys don't want to be. when it comes to weapon choice different tactics apply, bows will see you a better pay off in the long run, Let them hang back and pincushion the enemy's units and they'll do just fine. however though it takes a little longer to set up the triple shots of the crossbows can just about darken the sky and with the amount of forced saves you'll find the waiting was probably worth it. A good idea might be to let for example a unit of liberators to hold up a unit in combat before letting the crossbowmen scythe the opposing infantry down as if they were fish in a barrel.

Paladins

All the paladins have the same basic profile swapping an inch of movement for an extra wound and point of bravery over their liberator brethren. All Paladins can alternatively use a Starsoul Mace that inflicts D3 mortal wounds (2 every 5 models).

Retributors: It's Hammertime! Retributors are the jack of all trades out of the paladin rank, you get 3 for a minimum squad as opposed to 5 for the others but they're worth it. at 2 attacks each with 3's to hit and wound they'll pile on the saves your opponent has to take and at -1 with 2 damage per hit they'll make your opponet regret failing them as each guy has the potential to knock 4 of his little puny mortals off the board. while not as gimmicky as the other two, they have the best "all round" ability of them, with every six to hit they auto deal 2 mortal wounds as they literally blast the poor unfortunate on the end to ash. Probably the best and most consistent all-round choice out of the paladins, there's not much in the game that'll enjoy being in combat with these guys.

Decimators: These guys have an axe to grind,they don't like horde infantry and horde infantry doesn't like them. With a 2" range per guy you want these men in the thick of the fight, as deep in an enemy unit as possible. why you may ask? because each model gets one attack for every enemy model within that 2" and at 3+/3+/-1/1 they'll certainly put a combine harvester to shame, Furthermore enemies have to add 2 to battleshock tests when within 6" of a Decimator meaning even more of your opponent's models will decide to call it a day after seeing their buddies get blendered. The way this rule is worded also means that Daemon infantry hates their guts, as their "bring back lost models"-standard can't activate in close proximity to Decimators. Their major weakness however is that they don't do well against monsters or characters, since they will generally only yield 1 attack per guy. Not a bad idea to add a starsoul mace to make up for that slightly.

• Alternate Opinion: Never add Starsoul Maces to your Decimators. They do provide more consistent damage, but in the end, you just trade effectiveness against units you don't want your Decimators to engage for effectiveness against units you do want them to engage, since D3 Mortal Wounds help more against big tough stuff while their axes are for splattering small weak stuff.

Protector: Guan Yu would be proud, Protectors come with BFG's, big Frakking glaives and they are almost as blendy as the decimators with a whopping 3 attacks each, with a 3" reach they can quite easily fight over the top of liberators or a trooper of your choice and with the same statline in weapon as the decimators, can inflict a decent amount of damage too. These guys have pretty decent abilities too they get to deflect some shooting that is fired either at them or over them. where they really shine though is slicing apart monsters. on a 6 to wound the big beastie your attack will end up doing d6 damage instead of a measly 1 meaning a good roll can see you cutting down dragons with relative ease. Can also reach over a front rank to shank any dickheads who thought they were safe in the back with their 2" weapons. And never ever forget that, potentially, even a single Protector can murder the Glottkin at full wounds. Sure, the chances are about as high as winning the lottery, but they are able to.

Fast Movers

Prosecutors with Lightning Hammers: with a 12" move and fly, these guys are your air mobile assault marines. they have a nice long range (18") shooting attack as they throw their magical hammers at you and are also pretty handy with them up close all to hit rolls with these guys (shooting and close combat) get to re roll wayward 1's so long as they have two of 'em, otherwise they get the same reroll 1s to saves the Liberators get. plus with a 3d6 charge range they can really make that long sprint that you need. these guys are your (excuse the pun) Wingmen when it comes to the battlefeild, have them sit on the flanks as your main force drives up the middle so they can maybe sneak around back to bust up a war machine, harass a unit with some hammertime and finish off any small squads left hanging around in your stormdozers wake. For every one in three, one can take a special weapon: Either the Grandblade or Ggrandhammer you were already used to, or a Grandaxe which is the same one the Decimators get, but only with 1" range.

Prosecutors with Stormcall Javelins: Get a completely exclusive Warscroll for some arbitrary reason. While you would expect a goddamn winged armoured Spartan with Spear and Shield to be good in combat, they are actually really bad in melee, but pretty damn good at range. They get only 1 attack at 4+/4+/-/1 in melee, but also an 18" shot at 3+/3+/-/1, which goes up to 2 damage at ranges over 9". One in three can instead get a Stormsurge Trident so you can also rock freaking Poseidon while you're at it. The Trident is pretty much what you're used to from the Stormcasts, gaining -1 Rend and 2 damage both in melee and shooting. Their Prime also shoots twice, so stick (hehe) him with the Trident. And to top it off, they get some nice Sigmarite Shields.

Gryph-hounds: If you have a Lord-Castellant you must have one of this unit next to him. His 1,33 damages are a better wounds/damages ratio than liberators and at the same time with a bit of luck you can avoid being hit back with the Darting Attacks ability (which is always good since it has no save). His warning cry ability is useful, but you must remember to deploy this unit (and the Lord-Castellant) exactly in the middle of your army. with a bunch of these circling around or at least close to the castellant you can have a fairly decent beastmaster unit, doubling up on their attacks then darting off.

Monsters

You don't need those evil beasts... yet!

Formations

• Skyborne Slayers: a Lord-Celestant leads 2 squads of Liberators, 2 squads of Judicators, and a squad each of Decimators and Protectors. This entire formation can deep-strike absoltely anywhere they like so long as it's 5" from any enemies and never suffer Battleshock. LUBE UP, THE STORM'S COMING IN DRY!

• Thunderhead Brotherhood: Two gangs of Liberators and Judicators. If one model's within two others, they all re-roll wound rolls of 1 and if a Liberator squad is put in front of a judicator squad when they get shot, the Liberators act as cover (Which will get a lot less usage then it sounds).

• Lords of the Storm: A formation based upon the heroes; a Lord Celestant (Either on foot or on a Dracoth), a Lord-Relictor, and 2-5 choices for any other hero. All assembled, they add +1 Bravery to any Stormcasts within 6" of a hero and if 3+ heroes are nearby, they can inflict damage on any enemies within 3" of them - a mortal wound for each hero in the group.

• Vanguard Wing: 3 packs of Prosecutors and a pack of Liberators in a rather nice formation. If the Libeators are within 8" of the Prosectors and they roll a 6 to hit, they can even inflict 2 wounds for each hit, making dual-wielding an actually useful option. On top of that, the Liberators can also teleport to anywhere within 5" of the Prosecutors, solving their mobility issue.

• Hammerstrike Force: Two Retributor gangs and a pack of Prosecutors - at least one squad of Retributors has to deep-strike near the Prosecutors 9or at least 9" away from an enemy if you fucked up and the birdboys have carked it). Note that this can be done at any point during the movement phase - even after the Prosecutors ran! And that's serious deployment! On top of that, if the Retributors are within 6" of the flyboys, they add in +1 to wound.

• Devastation Brotherhood: One pack of every sort of Paladin assembled together with a pack of Prosecutors. If the Paladins all wound an enemy unit in the same Combat Phase, that unit will get even further turbo-rekt by d6 additional mortal wounds. The Prosecutors are there to bog down the enemy so you can hit them; they can force an enemy unit within 9" to take -1 Bravery and lose d6 movement during your Hero Phase.

• Wardens of the Realmgate: A Lord-Castellant (with optional hound) joins a gang of Protectors and two gangs of Liberators in protecting a Baleful Realmgate. That gate is set up after the Castellant and any time he's within 6" of it during the Hero Phase, he can roll a d6 and summon a new set of Sigmarines (or a unit that just died) within 6" of it. All the Protectors do is give anyone in this set re-rollable saves if they're within 6". S'yeah, summoning Sigmarines. Not really worth it considering you need to shell out for that terrain.

• Harbinger Chamber: The Lords of the Storm grab 3 Vanguard Wings. This leads to quite a lot of goons. However, any model can deep-strike wherever and whenever they want and they also gain +1 to-hit. Things that get hit by these boys get wrecked.

• Exemplar Chamber: The Lords of the Storm instead join 3 Devastation Brotherhoods. They get the same Deep-Strike rule but also gain an extra attack if ever a unit dies. If you piss them off, you better pray you can run from the STORM.

• The Host Azyric: A formation made only for those who seriously have too much money. not only do you need Celestant-Prime, but you also need an Azyros, a Heraldor, a Vexilor, and a Venator, but you also need 4 wings of Prosecutors, 3 packs of Liberators, 2 gangs of Judicators, and a squad of Retributors. This formation makes everyone except the Venator Deep-Strike on any turn, forcing enemies within 15" to halve their movement and roll 1d6 for charging on the turn they arrive. The Prime additionally benefits by getting the ability to use his comets to summon more Stormcasts within 10" of the blast.

Army Building

Stormcasts are able to do a few things, namely their guys are durable, can hit like a freight train, and have some unique rules as opposed to other armys. As of yet however they dont have wizards or monsters and rely on their support characters to give them vital staying power. Start with a celestant to lead you, mounted or otherwise and then your pick of bulk units. if you dont know what to go for, liberators are a good all round choice beign above the average bar anyway. augmented by a secondry line (shooty judicators and either a lord relictor or castellant to make sure they stay on the feild) they should do fine. when it comes to the paladins, use them as lock breakers. try to get liberators to tie up units initialy and then have your second line units shoot them down or your big paladins break em like bane did batman.

Another thing to consider is this: Most armies rely on keyword support to really get the most out of their units. Stormcast Eternals have very little in the way of support, because they don't need it. They're mostly strong enough on their own. What this means is that you can quite comfortably add their units to nearly every other army to cover up their weaknesses.