Age of Sigmar/Tactics/Old/Chaos/Skaven/Clans Verminus

Warscrolls

The common keywords of these warscrolls are: CHAOS, SKAVEN and VERMINUS.

Heroes

Verminlord Warbringer

The close combat monster among the Verminlords, the Warbringer swings two very strong weapons and can reroll To Hit when he charges. He can also cast a spell a turn, with his unique spell basically giving the Blood Warriors' No Respite rule to a Skaven unit (can pile in and attack if killed in melee). His command ability is also pretty great, but really grows with the game size as his Command targets all Verminus around him. The Warlord's Command is a stronger buff, but only targets one unit, so it's quality versus quantity here.

Skaven Warlord

Your standard hero with 5 wounds, a 4+ save (3+ against damage 1 attacks) and 3 weapon options, either a warp-forged blade that gives him 3 3+/3+/-2/D3 attacks, a halberd and a barbed blade which gives him 3 3+/3+/-1/1 attacks and 6 3+/4+/-/1 attacks, or two barbed blades which gives him the latter profile and re-rolls of 1 to hit. Don't even bother with the twin blades and take the halberd its the most reliable. Not that you actually want this guy in close combat as his true worth is his command ability which lets you pick a VERMINUS unit within 13" and give it an extra attack with each of its melee weapons. This is an amazing command ability for your rat horde as it give your clanrats 100% increased damage output and your stormvermin 50% increased damage output.

Queek Headtaker

(1 per army) Not in the grand alliance book but they still have the Verminus keyword. 5 wounds like the warlord but much more killy. 3 3+/3+/-1/D3 attacks with his Dwarf Gouger which does double damage (note 2xD3 not D6) against DUARDIN, and 3 more 3+/3+/-/1 attacks, oh and if he's targeting a hero he re-rolls to wound, neat. In addition he gains +1 save with a special rule that means if he passes a save with a roll of 6+ (cough mystic shield cough) the unit that attacked him suffers a mortal wound. His command ability means you can re-reroll 1's to hit for all VERMINUS units within 13". Oh yeah and he costs THE SAME AMOUNT as a standard warlord and GW still sells his model.

Warlord Spinetail

(1 per army) Not in the grand alliance book but they still have the Verminus keyword. Another named Warlord, Spinetail is less of a straight killy upgrade. 3 3+/3+/-/D3 attacks with his blade of corruption which has a special rule where for all enemy models that suffered a wound from it but survived (see: at most one) you roll a dice and on a 6 it suffers a mortal wound except NURGLE units who don't, and 3 3+/4+/-/1 attacks. What he does get is an ability that lets him attempt to throttle an enemy hero within 3" at the start of a combat phase, you and your opponent roll of if your roll is higher it suffers a mortal wound, if yours is double it suffers D3. Yeah his abilities are pretty much garbage. His command ability is a 13" re-roll 1's to wound bubble for VERMINUS units. He's at least 20 points cheaper than a regular walord, but unless you really don't have 20 points to spare just take Queek for gods sake.

Tretch Craventail

(1 per army) Not in the grand alliance book but they still have the Verminus keyword. Another named Warlord, Craventail is not a killy upgrade. He has 2 2" 3+/4+/-/1 attacks 2 4+/3+/-/1 attacks and 2 4+/5+/-/1 attacks making him offensively the worst named warlord. What he does have going for him is a 4+ rerollable save and an ability that lets him retreat at the end of any (see: enemy) charge phase on the roll of 2+. Because of this he's pretty survivable if you really don't want to give up slay the leader or lose his command ability which gives a single unit an additional -1 rend on their weapons which is a fun pick against amour reliant armies again he costs the same amount as a standard warlord.

Skaven Chieftain with Battle Standard

Not in the grand alliance book but they still have the Verminus keyword. Essentially a Skaven Bloodsecrator, with 6" move, 5 wounds a 4+ save (no clan shield for some reason), 4 3+/3+/-/1 attacks and a standard he can planet in the ground and project a 13" bubble of no battleshock tests and re-reroll 1's to hit for models with the SKAVEN keyword. Potentially a great unit, just a shame it costs the same amount as said bloodsecrator despite having a worse save, no rend on its weapon, a 5" lower radius on its bubble and the fact that re-rolls of 1 just aren't as good as +1 attack.

Battleline Troops

Clanrats

In their minimum squad size of ten, Clanrats are garbage, 1 1" 4+/4+/-/1 or 2" 5+/4+/-/1 attacks each a measly 6+ save (5+ against damage 1) and bravery 4, but at 20 models they get +1 to wound and at 30 and additional +1 to their wound rolls, and don't forget units get +1 to their bravery as standard for every 10 models in the unit. Take squads of 40 half of each weapon type, put hand weapons in the front, spears in the back, make 21 3+/3+/-/1 and 20 4+/3+/-/1 attacks. Double it with your warlords command ability and watch as your crappy 6 point rats tear anything apart under sheer weight of dice.

Other Units

Stormvermin

Stormvermin are your elite infantry and they're a lot better than you might expect. For over double the cost of a clanrat they get +1 save, +1 bravery and trade their spears and baldes for halberds with which they make 2 2" 4+/3+/-1/1 attacks each. In addition they have a rule which gives them +1 to their hit rolls if they target a unit with fewer models which makes them ideal for killing enemy elite infantry and monsters. Take squads of 20 unless you know you're fighting enemy hordes. Add a warlord's command ability if you want to make your opponent cry.

Skavenslaves

Not in the grand alliance book but they still have the Verminus keyword. With a massive bravery 3 and 6+ save, they're gonna die. A lot. Slaves are your only source of ranged attacks in Verminus though their 9" 5+/5+/-/1 slings are well, garbage and they stp you from taking melee weapons or the shield. Like clanrats they have the option of spears or hand weapons, giving you either 1 6+/4+/-/1 attack or 2 5+/4+/-/1 attacks, so when i say option i mean, take the hand weapons for the great horned rat's sake. unlike clanrats their maximum squad size is 60 not 40. Also unlike clanrats they gain nothing more than the standard +1 to bravery per 10 for having big units. Instead they get a rule where, for every one that flees you can roll a dice and on a 6+ they cause a mortal wound on the nearest unit withing 6" (note this includes your own units). Potentially of use as a suicide squad or for fun games but otherwise consider that a skavenslave costs one point more than a clanrat each and a minimum size squad costs the same as a minimum size squad of stormvermin and they're not even battleline.

Battalions

Verminus Clawpack

From the Compendium. A Warlord, 3 units of Clanrats, a unit of Stormvermin and 3 Weapon Teams of any type. Gives your units +2 to their bravery for each ten models in the unit rather than +1. The warlord can use his command ability even if he's not your general and it affects every unit from the clawpack within 13", but only if there are no enemy units within 3". And the weapons teams while within 3" of a unit of clanrats can, when suffering wounds in the shooting phase, attempt to make the clanrats take them instead on a die roll of a 4+. Minimum 680 points though theres no point to take it with such small units, Maximum 1640 points.

Army Building

Buying tips

Spire of Dawn is out/back! Plus it's only £10 more expensive than the 2 boxes worth of Clanrats you get in it anyway and you get a warlord, 2 weapon teams, a warlock engineer, a Packmaster and 2 giant rats in it too.

If you're starting off get 3. Swap the elves if you can/want. Now get a box of Stormvermin. You now have enough of a respectable clawpack of 3 units of 40 clanrats, a 20 man unit of stormvermin your choice of 3 poisoned wind mortars or warpfire throwers and two warlords. This is just shy of 1500 points and you can use the rest of your skaven to build up to 2000 (2500 is potentially possible but you'd have to run smaller than max size clanrat units (if you have to do this run 2 37's and a 36 i your clawpack and a spare 10 and swallow paying 60 points for nothing, it's more important your big clanrat units can take a little beating before dropping below 30 models and losing combat effectiveness)).

Army composition

Take a clawpack and an additional hero as a base at anything over 1000 points, Queek would be this writers personal pick, though another warlord is easier on the wallet. Beyond that remember you don't really get anything for being verminus or hell even skaven exclusive so go wild.

1000 points or less the clawpack is too unwieldy. 1 warlord 30 stormvermin and 80 clanrats is bang on 1000 and 1 warlord 20 stormvermin and 20 clanrats fits under 500.

Allied Armies

Masterclan

Grey Seer

A wizard with a pretty good unique spell (pick a unit within 26" roll a dice for each model in it, on a 6 the unit suffers a mortal wound) and a command ability that means for any SKAVEN that flee within 26" roll a dic on a 4+ it doesn't flee. Pretty good if you have no battleshock bolstering in your army anyway.

Lord Skreech Verminking

He has The Dreaded Thirteenth Spell which turns your opponents units into Verminus units. Except its more like summoning a Verminus unit because it needs to be taken from your summoning allowance also you have no idea how many models its going to summon and Verminus units are all weak with low model counts. So yeah. Maybe not in pitched battles eh? He also has warlord spinetails' command ability.

Screaming Bell

A behemoth with random effects based on a 2d6 roll, one gives all skaven models within 13" an extra attack but you need to roll a 10 or 11 to get it. It's also wizard with a unique spell that hurts slower units (COUGH PALADINS COUGH) more. It moves 3" more for every Skaven within an inch at the start of the movement phase so its designed to work with your big clanrat units. A solid pick though the command ability of giving +1 bravery and move to everything that can see the screaming bell doesn't seem as impressive as some of the others offered to Verminus and Masterclan.

Skyre

Weapon Teams

Poisoned Wind Mortar

Potentially a very nasty ranged attack which can be shot without line of sight. 1 4+/4+/-2/D6 shot that gets a +1 to hit against a unit with 10+ models and swaps D6 damage for guranteed 6 against units with 20+ models. Good for thinning down big units for your stormvermin to finish off.

Warpfire Thrower

Simply target a unit within 8" it suffers D3 mortal wounds. You can also attempt to boost the damage to D6 mortal wounds on a dice roll of a 2+, though if it fails this roll it suffers D3 mortal wounds itself. The team that benefits most from the clawpack as it needs the protection.

Rattling Gun

See: Dakka. 2D6 18" 4+/4+/-1/1 shots that get +1 to hit within 9" and on a dice roll of 2+ can fire FOUR D6 shots instead with the usual caveat that failing the roll means D3 mortal wounds. Like the Wapfire thrower it benifits from the protection, however moving it forwards isn't a necessity.

Doom-Flayer

The only melee weapon team with D3 3+/3+/-2/D3 attacks that get +1 to hit on the turn it charges and on a dice roll of 2+ makes D6 attacks instead, with the usual D3 mortal wound penalty for failing the roll.

Warp-Grinder

This weapon team can be deployed in any of your movement phases with an accompanying SKAVEN unit as long as it's deployed 9" away from the enemy units. When they arrive, you have to roll a dice:on 1 or 2 you have to try again next turn ( Unlike WHFB, in which the Weapon Team and the units could die if they failed the roll ).. Remember, there are no limitations on which unit you can set up this way, so imagine to do that with your Verminlord, or a powerful units of Stormvermin. You have to think before the game starts what are you going to do, but the results can be very devastating if used well. The units also can't move, but they can charge, son if you're lucky you can attack almost immediately. Also, the 2 attacks of the crew and the 4+/3+/-2/3 attack of the drill aren't nothing to spit at, but don't rely on them, because the Warp Grinder has a pretty bad Save of 6+.

External links

Rules are here:

https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls/aos-warscroll-skaven-warlord-en.pdf

https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls/aos-warscroll-clanrats-en.pdf

https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls/aos-warscroll-stormvermin-en.pdf

https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Compendiums/warhammer-aos-skaven-en.pdf