The 9th Age/Tactics/Warriors of the Dark Gods
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The fair use The 9th Age expy of the Warriors of Chaos of Warhammer Fantasy.
Why Play Warriors of the Dark Gods[edit]
- like to fight as superhumans juggernauts all trying to obtain godhood thorugh good old fashion glory in battle.
- Have lots of customization option
- Haves some of the best-stated character options next to Vampires.
Tactics[edit]
The tactics are current as of version second edition.
Army Rules[edit]
Favours of the Dark Gods A character with a favour cannot join a unit with different favour. Does not prevent favored characters from joining units with no favour. Favours are available for one of your characters and many of your units, this is where much of the flexibility of the WDG list comes from. All seven favours are listed here, units that can take favours are noted in their respective entry.
- Favour of Kuulima, Goddess of Envy: Gains Swiftstride, and reroll hit rolls and charge range rolls of 1 during charges. For longer charge ranges and more punch on Charges.
- Favour of Akaan, God of Gluttony: When a model with this favour charges a fleeing unit or wins combat and does NOT pursue or overrun, the model gains +1 str for the rest of the game. Can only trigger once. Usually cheaper on units, but you're still paying for a possible boost and one you definitely won't have on the first combat. A win-more favour, other choices are better value.
- Favour of Sugulag, God of Greed: The bearer gains a great weapon, halberd, paired weapons, and weapon master. A character also increases their special equipment allowance by 50 points. A very flexible choice. Does not prevent the model from purchasing additional weapons as per their unit entry.
- Favour of Cibaresh, God of Lust: The model gains Feigned Flight and Strider. Models with this favour may declare a flee reaction even if the unit is fearless and rally rolls after fleeing are minimized. Gives you the option of running avoidance anything, and not trip on pebbles.
- Notable that Strider does not apply to Dangerous Terrain Checks not caused by Terrain, such as those caused by fleeing through units.
- Favour of Savar, God of Pride: Discipline tests taken by a unit with at least one model with this favor is minimized. A basic choice, but will make your tarpit unmoveable.
- Favour of Nukuja, Goddess of Sloth: Models with this favor gain +1 resilience. Tanks up your guys, but if they ever charge, Advance, or march more than 10" they lose this favour for 1 turn (6" if the model is Gigantic).
- Favour of Vanadra, Goddess of Wrath: The model gains Lightning Reflexes and +1 agility but enemy models gain +1 to hit models with this favour. These effects are only during the first round of combat. If you're confident you can crush your enemy before they hit back, this will help you do that.
Battle Fever: Reroll failed panic and Break tests, keeping your lesser Vikings in the fight.
Path of the Favoured: Warriors that walk the Path for the favor of gods. Reroll Break tests and Unit champion gains +1 Discipline and +1 health to a max of +3.
Path of the Exiled: mutated Warriors that were punished by the gods but still walk the path. Reroll Break tests and After taking break tests, models with this rule in a unit that fail a break test from close combat make close combat attacks as if it was normal combat and are then removed as casualties. This makes units with Path of the Exiled deadly traps to be in combat with.
Irredeemable those that fell too far from grace to ever ascend on the path and fully mutated into blobs. The model cannot stomp but can make grind attacks as supporting attacks from the second rank that ignore the normal attack limit. When a model with this rule is killed in combat it is not removed until after initiative step 0, so they will always get some hits in.
Veil Walker When a model with this rule casts a non-bound spell, you may discard one veil token when declaring targets and add one of the following attacks to the spell:
- Secret of Flesh: failed to-wound rolls from the spell must be re-rolled.
- Secret of Separation: the spell's range is increased by 6" (only 3" for aura spells). Spells with range: caster is not affected.
- Secret of Substance: Successful armor saves for wounds caused by this spell must be re-rolled.
Trophy Rack: rerolls failed Discipline test for its unit, gives a combat score bonus for killing in duels, and let them have one Banner Enchantment (letting you have more Battle Standard Bearer than normally allowed).
Unburnt Flaming attacks taken against this model must re-roll successful to-wound rolls, and treat all Un-Unburnt as Insignificant.
Armoury[edit]
Hell-Forged Armour Plate armour that gives the wearer Aegis (5+ vs toxic attacks). Be sure to laugh at your vermin swarm opponent. all who wear it are also fearless.
Spiked Shield Models on foot only. It's a normal shield, but when the bearer succeeds on an armor save on a natural roll of 4+, the model that caused the wound suffers 1 hit at the bearer's strength and AP. This is a special attack. Makes your tanky core blocks even scarier in close combat.
Hereditary Spell[edit]
Hellfire A pretty cheap blaster spell. You can consistently 3 dice the boosted version, chucking out 2d6 str 6 hits. The hits have no AP, but the good number of hits and high strength makes this spell very consistent.
Unit Analysis[edit]
Characters[edit]
Exalted Herald Your big demon buddy. Has stats on par with a dragon, a 4+/4++, and spellcasting. The downside Costing 820 points. Because he is a demon, he doesn't choose spells as normal, instead, he chooses 2 of the following manifestations and gains spells based on the manifestation. All spells he casts use the Attribute spell Guiding Light instead of the corresponding Attribute spell, meaning the Herald can replace your BSB if you want.
- Abiding Spirit: The herald gains Hard Target (1), whenever the Herald is on the winning side of combat it regains 1 HP. The Herald knows the spell Smite the Unbeliever, giving him options to weaken enemies, making them easier to crush.
- Brand of the Dragon: The herald gains Fly (8", 16") and a Breath Attack. The Herald knows the spell Breath of Corruption, making your herald a dump truck flanker because he can always have a breath attack ready.
- Emissary of Chaos: Becomes tall, stomps, stubborn, and Terror. Simple and useful. The Herald knows Pentagram of Pain
- Sorcerer Immortal: Gains Veil Walker. Herald knows Marked for Doom (big hit on one target) and The Grave Calls (multiple decent hits on a unit) and may replace any known spell with the H spell. Take this to pump your spellcasting to the next level.
- Unholy Avatar: +1 Str, AP, and Divine Attacks. Makes your beatstick herald extra scary. The Herald knows The Rot Within, not a huge effect but it is permanent.
Chosen Lord 295pts. Has stats on par with an Ogre Khan but with Elf Prince level offensive/defensive skill and agility. This guy is one of the best character choices in the game. Note that you do have to put a Favour on him, he also has the option to take a Gift of the Dark Gods, listed below.
- Daemonic Wings: on foot only, gains Fly (8", 16"). When you want a quick guy in the backline.
- Luck of the Dark Gods: Aegis +1 (max 4+). A great general buff for any character.
- Entropic Aura: standard and large models only, weapon and armor enchantments on the bearer, on models in the bearer's unit, and models in units that are in base contact with the bearer cannot be used. Your characters are buff without needing enchantments and can cripple your opponent.
- Idol of Spite: One use only, for this round of combat the bearer, has +1 attack, strength, and AP. Flexible and useful.
- Dark Prelate: knows Sectral Blades and amplified Hand of Glory as Bound Spells
Doomlord 360pts. A mutated chosen lord with no options for favours or gifts but is faster and has more armour. Path of the Exiled will kill him if he ever loses the combat, but with his stats, losing combat is unlikely. Also can one-hand a Great weapon or Halberd with a shield in the other.
Sorcerer 145pts. A very cheap character with great path selection and options to take plate armor. Your wizard is extremely strong.
Barbarian Chief 110pts. Your cheapest character option. If you are running a lot of barbarians, take one or two to buff them to insane levels.
Feldrak Ancestor 650pts. Your big ass dragon centaur friend. Doesn't have many options but he barely needs it with his power. He also treats all models of standard size as insignificant, making him a hilariously independent character.
Character Mounts[edit]
Black Steed: The same horse most other armies have, but he has bigger muscles, fitting for a Viking horse.
Shadow Chaser: When you need fast accept no substitutes. 10" advance is what you take this for.
Scythed Skywheel: Gives your character cheap flight and decent attacks to fend off flankers.
War Dais: now just an Upgrade that gives more HP, arm, attacks, and can't be stomped. Its meant for standing among the lesser footmen and extend their unit's Footprint but makes them easier to snipe.
Dark Chariot: Ups the character's HP to 4 and res to 5, a great value mount.
Battleshrine: When you need your wizard to really blast the shit out of the magic phase, this is the way to go. Taking a Shrine also give your Sorcerer Trophy Rack.
Karkadan: Monstrous cavalry with impressive strength and attacks.
Chimera: 5 attacks with str 5 and an impressive 20" march. Turn 2 charges are what this guy is on.
Wasteland Behemoth: another big monster to ride on. Like the Chimera but more. Mounting a Barbarian Chief on one is a cheaper alternative to taking a Feldrak Ancestor.
Wasteland Dragon: Can walk faster than it can fly, if you want a big monster, just take the Feldrak.
Core[edit]
Warriors 3+ armor and parry standard with options for taking favours, a good choice of weapons, and banner enchantments. Incredibly strong troops, especially in core, but pays for that by costing an average of a whopping Base 225 for 10 + 22ppm.
Fallen 150pts for 5 + 16ppm. Faster and cheaper than Warriors but with no options. The path of the exiled and Hell-Forged Armour makes them tarpits that kill enemies unfortunate enough to be tarpitted by them.
Barbarians Your cheapest reliable chaff at Base 135 for 15 + 7ppm, but you will be paying more if you want them to actually do anything. Throwing weapons makes them one of your few options for ranged support. They will see play extending WotDG lines like being flank shields, or be a cheap fontline anvils for your expensive hammers.
Special[edit]
Barbarian Horsemen 130pts for 5 + 18ppm. Take the barbarian from core, put it on a fast horse, and that's what you have here. A cheap option and will still pull their weight. Units of 8 or more count towards core.
Warhounds 95pts for 5 + 8ppm. Your cheapest choice in this army and they are garbage. They have no survivability, low damage but can make it ok for one turn, and no vanguard or ambush. Take them to bait your enemy during deployment and delay them for a turn, but don't expect them to do anything during the game. Units of 8 or more count towards core.
Warrior Knights 250pts for 5 + 38ppm. Take a warrior with most of the same options and make them fast. Depends on your list, if you want flexibility these guys are the way to go, but your other cavalry options are specialized and are better depending on what you want to do with them.
Warrior Chariot 230pts. Take these over warrior knights only if you're fighting a very quick army like elves so you can break them before they can chunk you too much.
Chosen 260pts for 5 + 55ppm. The most elite infantry. They are standard infantry with 3 attacks per base and can make all 3 as supporting attacks and must take a favour. Some of the best infantry in the game, but also costs base 265 for 5 + 60ppm.
Chosen Knights 410pts for 3 + 110ppm. Take the chosen above, put them on a karkadan, and double the price. When you need something crushed on turn 2, go ham.
Chosen Chariot 340pts. A great deterrent, no one wants to take a charge from one of these, but you are paying a lot for a roadblock.
Chimera 200pts. Decent survivability, a good number of strong attacks, and good speed. Any dedicated monster hunter will laugh at them, but use them carefully and you can get good work out of it.
Wretched One 75pts for 1 + 85ppm. Random movement and pitiful defenses make it easy pickings on the table, but in close combat, it grinds out 4.5 attacks a turn on average. Let your Forsworn get broken to get one into melee.
Forsworn 200pts for 3 + 60ppm. Your Chosen that got frowned on, Bodyguards to Doomlords. Has the option to turn into Wretched ones when they break instead of getting another attack and die, making them the nuttiest tarpit to grind through.
Feldraks 330pts for 3 + 120ppm. Big centaur murder crew. They can outgrind and murder stomp any infantry that gets in their way. But as above, watch out for dedicated monster hunters.
Battleshrine 310pts. If you didn't have space in your characters you can take this magic phase blaster cannon in the special section. Have fun throwing all your magic dice at your opponent.
Flayers 145pts for 5 + 14ppm. One of the speediest units in the game. They have 10" adv and vanguard, they pay for this by having pitiful armor and survivability. They are also your main source of light cavalry and ranged shooting in your army, with options for bows, throwing weapons, light lances, or the skinning lash, which gives them a nasty sweeping drive by.
Legendary Beasts[edit]
Hellmaw 280pts. This odd beasty is your ranged support. It can open gateways on the map which your units can travel through with some mild danger and will damage in a decent radius when gateways are closed. Be wary of where you place your gateways because they can hurt your own guys.
Forsaken One 390pts. All the issues of the Wretched ones, but more of it. Hard pass.
Marauding Giant 260pts. The big guy you know and love. You can make him bigger for a pittance. His options are pretty flexible in WDG. You can give him a Familiar which gives him some spellcasting ability, or give him a warspear, making him a scary monster hunter and can join up with units of barbarians.
Feldrak Elder 435pts. If you wanted the Feldrak Ancestor but didn't want it out of the character's section, this is where you can pick him up. You want to gear him up to mulch enemy r&f units.
Special Equipment[edit]
Weapon Enchantments[edit]
Burning Portent This is a beast of a weapon. AP is set to 10, flaming attacks, and multiple wounds (d3). There is a 1 in 3 chance you will one shot most characters and there is nothing they can do about it. It won't help you wound on high resilience models, but your base characters have str 5 anyways.
Symbol of Slaughter +2 attacks and agility but enemies have a +1 to hit you. If you want to double down on slamming first, go for this.
Armour Enchantments[edit]
Thrice Forged Pumps up your armor, makes most of your character 1+ on foot. A good choice with no downsides.
Gladiator's Spirit +1 armor and parry. A handy choice, but parry doesn't do too much on your defense skill 7, but if you have some way of pumping it up at least 1 point (defensive skill 8), then your 1 Defensive skill from parry will bring you into a magical realm of being hit by Offensive skill 5 on a 5+, which is incredibly strong, as most units that pose a threat to your chosen lord (in melee) are either incredibly killy characters (like vampires, or Dread Princes of Nabh), or large elite units, that almost always have said offensive skill 5. Seriously,the only units that can hit defensive skill 9 better than on 5+ AND actually cause some damage are Chosens and Swordmasters.
Banner Enchantments[edit]
Zealot's Banner The number of supporting attacks the second rank can make is increased by 1. Again, pumps up your grinding power.
Icon of the Infinite The bearer can cast Hellfire as a bound spell. Can help your units outgrind anything because of the way Hellfire gets to target.
Wasteland Torch The bearer's unit gains Strider (ruins) and you get to make one terrain piece on the board ruins.
Artefacts[edit]
Ledger of Souls When friendly models within 9" are removed from enemy attacks, you gain veil tokens equal to the lost model's health points. Can really pump your magic phases.
Immortal Gauntlets Before combat, you can discard a veil token and the bearer's close combat attacks gain divine attacks, flaming attacks, or magical attacks. Makes your characters even scarier to fight and is very flexible.
Lord of the Damned Unit's with Irredeemable near the bearer may reroll their random movement rolls. Makes your wretched ones move better if you're running a lot of them go for it.
Wyrd Stone One use only. When the bearer is hit by an attack with at least str 5 or AP 5, the bearer's model gains Aegis 4+. If the bearer's model is gigantic the aegis only lasts for that attack, otherwise, it ends at the end of the turn.
Veilgate Orb May store 6 Veil tokens instead of 3. Gives you the choice to conserve unused die so you can throw out bigger spells more reliably
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