Age of Sigmar/Tactics/Old/Destruction/Beastclaw Raiders

Grand Alliance Destruction Beastclaw Raiders

WINTER IS COMING MOTHERFUCKER!

Lore Tactics General Tactics

Why play Beastclaw Raiders?

Pros

• Speed - For starters, this army is fast (average movement of 9")! The slowest member of this battleforce, the Icebrow Hunter (6"), can be "dropped" anywhere on the table once the battle begins so his slow movement isn't a factor overall. This speed allows optimal positioning to set up those much needed charges. You will want these charges because...

• Power - These guys hit HARD! Both the stonehorns and mournfangs dish out wounds on the initial charge, so getting the successful charge is always a good idea. Many units also offer multiple attacks with several damage per attack.

• Resiliency - These guys are also tough. Everything in this list has some form of save and most fall in the 4+ or 5+ variety. This makes them quite resilient to damage. There is also the added ability for the stonehorns to halve damage from enemy weapons (per the errata) though admittedly this does nothing against single wound weapons and the -1 to hits against thundertusks and yhetees (though only in the combat phase). Its easy to see that these dudes have some pretty awesome staying power.

• Distance Attacks - Another thing that makes these guys formidable is their wide selection of ranged attacks. from blood vultures to bolt thrower crossbows, Beastclaw Raiders can hit from almost anywhere without getting into direct combat. Once again, this opens up numerous tactical strategies that can maximize damage and minimize casualties.

• Battleline Behemoths - Under certain war scrolls, the massive thundertusks and the hard hitting stonehorns are actually considered battleline. That opens up the door for the possibility of really loading up on these beauties. Because of their abilities, they are usually instant targets when only one or two are on the table. With the opportunity to raise that number to battleline standards, your opponent will not know where to strike first.

• Model Count/Cost - One thing that is very attractive about this army to many hobbyists is the small number of models that are required to be purchased and painted to build a viable army. When all the other benefits are considered, being outnumbered isn't something to fear in direct combat. Not to mention the cash that is saved in the long run!!

• Theme Music - You get to play Mammoth Rider by Visigoth all the time. Alternatively, the Skyrim or Game of Thrones main theme also works just as well.

Cons

• Model Count - What is a benefit can also be a strong negative under some situations. Failed battleshock tests can be disastrous. Another thing to consider is that some small sized army lists are at a disadvantage with some battle plan scenarios.

• Magic (nor prays) - The Beastclaw Raiders are completely wizard and priest free. There is no opportunity to cast or dispel spells, which can be a problem against some magic heavy army lists. Especially if your opponent can do Smite spam. With Generals Handbook 2017 it can be somehow nullified by including Butcher as an ally Hero choice.

• Diversity - The army list only contains ten different unit options and half of them are individual characters (leaders). With seven war scrolls that contain mounted beasts, it leaves little along the lines of real variation. There are six 300+ point war scrolls of units, which are technically the same thing with minor variations, that greatly limits what can be taken in a 1000 point game.

• Cheese - The strength and power of the stonehorns and the thundertusks are undeniable. Lots of wounds and abilities that make them intimidating to many when only one of them is brought. However, several of the war scroll battalions require the use of multiple copies of these massive monsters. Do not be surprised to hear some of your opponents asking for crackers to go with your seemingly overpowered cheese list or possibly refusing to play you all together. Though to be fair however recent Generals Handbook changes and Erratas have knocked them down a step, though they are still scary as hell so opponents should never get careless.

Rulebooks

The Beastclaw Raiders Battletome has all the Warscrolls, Battations and Allegiance Abilities.

• This should be supplemented with the Beastclaw Raiders Errata and Designers' Commentary from the FAQs.
• Matched play points are in the Battetome. As per the FAQ, ignore the points in the General's handbook 2019.
• Alternatively up to date warscolls can be found in the WH AoS app. Warscrolls on the GW webstore match those in the Battletome.

As with all factions you'll want:

• The core rules are either downloadable or in the Core Book.
• Games taking place in a Realm need the Realm of Battle rules from the Core Book.
• If you want to take advantage of realm specific artefacts you'll need the Artefacts Of The Realms section from the Malign Sorcery book.
• Matched play battleplans are split across the Core Book and General's handbook 2019.
• All books should be supplemented with any updates from the FAQs.

Allegiance Abilities

Battle Traits

If your army has Beastclaw Raiders Allegiance and chooses to take the Beastclaw Raiders Allegiance abilities, it has the following rules:

• Beastclaw Stampede: All Beastclaw Raiders models can re-roll to Wound rolls of 1 when Charging.
• Everwinter's Blessing: In each of your hero phases you roll a dice and gain the corresponding effect:
  • 1-2 Fortifying Hoarfrost: All Beastclaw Raiders models can re-roll Save rolls of 1 until your next hero phase. Mystic Shield for the whole army - this is the result you want most of the time.
  • 3-4 Freezing Tailwinds: All Beastclaw Raiders models can immediately make a 3" Move.
  • 5 Deadly Frostbite: Roll a D6 for every enemy unit within 3" of a Beastclaw Raiders model. On a roll of a 6 the unit being rolled for takes D3 Mortal Wounds.
  • 6 Raging Blizzard: Roll a D6 for every enemy unit within 3" of a Beastclaw Raiders model. On a roll of a 6 the unit being rolled for takes D6 Mortal Wounds.

Command Traits

The General of an army which has a Beastclaw Raiders Allegiance and has chosen to take the Beastclaw Raiders Allegiance abilities can choose one of the following Command Traits:

1. Massive Bulk: General gets 1 extra wound.
2. Everwinter's Master: As long as the General is alive, you can Re-roll the Everwinter's Blessing (See above).
3. Avalanche Voice: The range of the General's Command Ability is increased by 8".
4. Famed Hunter: The General can Re-roll every To Hit roll of 1 (applies only to his weapons and not to the mounts).
5. Beast-eater: The General Re-rolls every failed Wound roll against models with the Monster keyword.
6. Fearsome Leader: Every enemy unit within 3" from the General gets -1 Bravery.

Magical Artefacts

One Hero in an army which has a Beastclaw Raiders Allegiance and has chosen to take the Beastclaw Raiders Allegiance abilities, plus one Hero for every Battalion selected, can choose one of the following Magical Artifacts:

1. Elixir of Frostwyrm: In each Shooting Phase, pick a unit within 9" from the bearer, on a D6 roll of a 2+, it suffers Mortal Wounds (1 if you rolled a 2-3. D3 if you rolled a 4-5, D6 if you rolled a 6). If you roll a 1, the bearer suffers a Mortal Wound and can't use this Magical Artifact anymore.
2. The Bleeding Skull of Dragaar: The bearer can Unbind a single Spell in each turn.
3. The Pelt of Charngar: The bearer heals a Wound in each Hero Phase (D3 on a 4+ roll)
4. Blade of All-Frost: One of the bearer's weapons deals 1 extra Damage, and if it damages a model with the Hero or Monster keywords then that model can't attack until all the other units in the army have.
5. Tokens of the Everwinter: One use only. Bearer Re-rolls every To Hit, To Wound and Save roll until the next Hero Phase. (Due to GHB2017 this Magical Artifact only works on the rider, not the mount).
6. Ice Mammoth Skull Plate: Bearer can Re-roll Save rolls against Attacks with no (-) Rend.

Notable Artifacts of the Realms

• It's time to address the elephant in the room. Gryph-Feather Charm, from Ghur, is possibly the best artefact out there. The -1 to hit for all enemies who target you is already something you'll find on a handful of artefacts, but throw an additional inch of move speed on there and it's offering everything a hero could want. A Frostlord on Thundertusk with this bad boy is effectively untouchable, and is faster on top of that. All that being said, people already know about the GFC and how good it is, and you'll quickly build up a reputation if you bring it every game without really considering the more flavorful and fun artifacts from your own battletome. Everyone uses this Artefact, it's the equivalent of using the most broken build in a video game and forgetting that other builds exist.
• The Thermalrider Cloak from Aqshy gives 4 more inches of movement and grants FLIGHT. A flying Stonehorn is the closest you can get to the angry fist of God swooping in to personally flick your opponent's models off the board.
• The Sword of Judgement from Ulgu turns the rider into a Mortal Wound Machine by making 6s to hit d6 mortals instead of damage. A Frostlord's spear is probably already more reliable for damage, but mortals are still hard to pass up. You might get better mileage out of the Dimensional Blade instead which increases his weapon's Rend to -3.
• The Ethereal Amulet from Shyish is a solid choice for a Frostlord on Stonehorn, making his 3+ armour save unaffected by modifiers. Immunity to rend.

Warscrolls

Common keywords in these Warscrolls are Destruction and Beastclaw Raiders. Most units also have the Ogor keyword, except for Frost Sabres and Icefall Yhetees.

Leaders

• Icebrow Hunter: Our only unmounted Ogor in the faction. He is still nimble compared to other factions Hero units, getting a Movement value of 6", so not slow at any rate, he gets a Culling Club as his only melee weapon and it's decent for a no (-) Rend weapon, getting 2 Damage makes up for that, but the really cool thing is his Great Throwing Spear, not only is it a good shooting weapon but if the Hunter runs he can shoot it in the same turn with doubled range and deal D6 Wounds instead of D3. He can also take the Hunter's Crossbow, that is basically the Great Throwing Spear but with slightly more range and no (-) Rend, but it doesn't replace it. Also, instead of his regular shooting weapons, he can use his Ice Breath and deal D3 Mortal Wounds on a 4+ roll to a unit within 6". Also, he can be placed in the Reserves and set on the field in any Hero Phase at least 9" away from an enemy unit. This counts as his Movement for the turn.

• Frostlord on Thundertusk: Ogor Frostlord on a Thundertusk, little Schizophrenic, but still a good choice, especially with the new errata changing how Stonehorns modify Damage received. Frostlord comes with a Frost Spear. A giant spear that hits with 4 attacks, each dealing 3 Damage with -1 Rend. And also a Command Ability that allows all friendly Beastclaw Raiders units within 14" to Re-roll all Charges until the next Hero Phase, not just failed ones, use this to your advantage with Stonehorns if your opponent is smart and attempts to bait you. Still gets the dirty snowball attack on a 2+ doing a straight 6 Mortal Wounds to a target within 18", there aren't many wrong targets for this. Thundertusks also force your opponent to hit it with a -1 To Hit in Combat.

• Frostlord on Stonehorn: It's like the Frostlord on Thundertusk, but on a Stonehorn, and thus, better. The Frostlord on Stonehorn is your beatstick of beatsticks to end all beatsticks, has the same spear the Thundertusk variant has, but has all of the Stonehorns innate combat Abilities and attacks to add to it's hitting power. Same Command Ability as the other Frostlord, but with the toughness and the Ability to run and Charging in the same turn of the Stonehorn. Let's it get up in front and into Combat, often on the 1st turn, keep in mind, that since the errata the Stonehorn lost a lot of survivability, but it is still up there with some of the toughest mounts in the game, and can and will teach your opponent caution. Don't ever forget the extra D6 Mortal Wounds on the Charge! If used correctly this thing will bring your opponent a world of pain - but beware cannons. And maxed out horde units - your Frostlord does not want to be in combat with, say, 50 clanrats. You will last 2 or three turns, and your half damage taken ability doesn't work here. That rule applies to basically all other stonehorn units there - use them as monster hunters and character hunters first, anti-elite units second and anti-horde as a matter of last resort and/or you've wiped out the rest of the options (which is reasonably likely to happen in most games you play).

• Huskard on Thundertusk: "Can anyone else smell Frost Wreathed Ice?" This guy has a ranged weapon choice between a Harpoon Launcher (Pretty decent shooting weapon with D3 Damage), a Chaintrap (like the Harpoon Launcher but with shorter range and always deals 3 Damage rather than the Harpoon's D3) or a Blood Vulture (Both you and your opponent choose an enemy unit within 30" from the Huskard, then you roll a dice: on a 4+ it's a Mortal Wound where you chose to aim, otherwise it damages the unit your opponent chose). Also gives blessings: you choose a Beastclaw Raiders unit within 18" and on a 4+ roll (Adding +1 for every Thundertusk in range) that unit either heals D3 Wounds or Re-rolls every 1 To Wound until next Hero Phase. Three Huskards can be a terrible force to be reckoned with on the battlefield!

• Huskard on Stonehorn: While the Frostlord is the exact same with either mount, the Huskard gets a different Ability on a Stonehorn: after he attacks, a Mournfang Pack within 10" can instantly make a Pile In move and attack if they didn't do that already. Other then that, the Huskards Stonehorn has a slightly better stat line, but if you really want to make this Hero shine, you need to take him as part of the Eurlbad formation for that extra 1 of Damage to his Melee hits, and those Mortal wounds on 6's!

Troops

• Frost Sabres: (Battleline with Icebrow Hunter as General only army) We mention them first since their main shtick is getting buffed by Icebrow Hunters: Having one (A Hunter) of them within 16" gives the entire unit of Frost Sabres +2 Bravery and +3 to charge rolls. Their melee attacks are not bad either, having a -1 Rend value lets you take on a wide range of backline targets, such as Wizards, Warmachines, and range support.

• Mournfang Pack: (Battleline with Beastclaw Raiders) These are the big cavalry unit. Can choose between a two-handed weapon, called a Gargant Hacker, that deals 2 Attacks with a -1 Rend and dealing 3 Damage, or a one-handed weapon and Iron Fist, which deal a Mortal Wound to the closest enemy model every time you roll a 6+ To Save. The unit leader can also take an Ironlock Pistol, always take it, it's free, and it's fun to plink at something for a lucky shot. Hornblower allows them to roll 3 dice and take the highest 2 when Charging (And their Charges deal a Mortal Wound on a Charged unit on a 4+ by default, never forget this), while the Banner Bearer combines both the effects from the Gutbuster standard choices (Re-rolls every 6 in Battleshock and every time an enemy unit within 3" has a model Flee you roll a D6 and on a 6 another model Flees).

• Icefall Yhetees: (Battleline with hero on Thundertusk is general) These dudes have the -1 to enemy To Hit rolls Ability like the Thundertusk, dealing 2 Damage per Wound with a -1 Rend value and can Run and Charge if there is a Thundertusk within 16". They also have the ability to activate in combat if within 6" of the enemy instead of the usual 3", and pile in 6" instead of 3". This has all sorts of tactical uses, such as being able to run or retreat to within 6" of the enemy and being able to fight without having to charge because you can just pile in anyway, and to be immune to the enemy hitting you first because they're not allowed to activate their unit yet.

Behemoth

• Stonehorn Beastriders: (Battleline with Beastclaw Raiders) First big monster. It must charge when possible, deals D6 mortal wounds right after he charged and suffers halved wounds (even mortal ones). It gets two riders: one always have the Harpoon Launcher, the other must choose between the Chaintrap and the Blood Vulture. The real icing on the cake is how tough the Stonehorn is: it halves (rounding up) any and all wounds it takes from all attacks. Yes, that includes mortal wounds. per the new errata it now only halves the damage of individual weapons (instead of all damage suffered). Meaning while it will halve the damage of multi-damage weapons, it will have no effect on single wound weapons as weapon damage can only be reduced to one, meaning they are much more susceptible to mass single wound attacks. They are still very tough to fight but are now not nearly as resilient as they were before.

• Thundertusk Beastriders:(Battleline with Beastclaw Raiders) The other big monster, with cool abilities: -1 to enemy hit rolls in melee, and a badass shooting attack dealing up to 6 mortal wounds on a 2+ roll. The riders are the same as the Stonehorn Beastriders. Word to the wise however our special shooting attack begins to massively lose effectiveness after only a few wounds taken which can be a problem as they are not as tough as the Stonehorns. Expect this to happen as any skilled opponent will make it a priority to snipe or charge them down quickly if you are not careful. It's just something to think about when getting close with the enemy.

Battalions

From Battletome Beastclaw Raiders

Jorlbad (1060pt. min.)

An Huskard on Stonehorn, 1-3 Stonehorn Beastriders and 2-4 Mournfang Packs.

Everyone can run and charge in the same turn, and every BEASTCLAW RAIDERS unit within 12" from the Huskard can reroll failed Battleshock tests.

Eurlbad (1070pt. min.)

An Huskard on Stonehorn, 1-3 Stonehorn Beastriders, and 2-4 Mournfang Packs.

Whenever you roll a Wound roll of 6 or more, for any of the models within the Eurlbad, you cause an additional Mortal Wound to the target unit.

This is great because Mortal Wound output is always a good thing and can help you deal with harder to shift targets. Does work slightly better with Mournfang with Clubs (Cause of the extra Attack), but honestly, the Rend, Damage and reach on the Gargant Hacker still makes them the better choice in my own opinion. Additionally, your Huskard adds 1 Damage to all his Melee Weapons.

Skal (330pt. min.)

1-6 Icebrow Hunters and 2-10 units of Frost Sabres.

Any number of Frost Sabres can be placed in the reserves and can come along with Icebrow Hunters.

Torrbad (1490pt. min.)

An Huskard on Thundertusk, 3-9 Thundertusk Beastriders and 0-3 units of Icefall Yhetees.

Enemy units within 3" from any model in the formation can't retreat. Also, in your hero phase you can roll a dice for every enemy unit that is within 3" from any Thundertusk in the formation, adding 1 to the roll for every other Thundertusk that is within 3" for that unit. If you get a 6 that unit suffers a mortal wound, on a 7 it suffers D3 mortal wounds, on a 8+ it's D6 mortal wounds.

Braggoth's Beast Hammer (1210pt. min.)

A Frostlord on Stonehorn, 2 Mournfang Packs and 2 units of Gore-Gruntas.

Yes, a mixed allegiance battalion. The Frostlord (Braggoth) gets an extra wound, if a BEASTCLAW RAIDERS unit in the formation and an IRONJAWZ unit in the formation are within 6" of each other they both get +1 to hit rolls and once per battle every unit that charged in the current turn can pile in and attack again at the end of the combat phase.

• Note: Because of the ruling on battalion types and allegiances if you run this battalion your gore-gruntas count as beastclaw raiders ONLY FOR DETERMINING ALLEGIANCE. This means, assuming your only running this battalion, the two mournfangs WILL count as battleline and you can still take beastclaw raider allegiance abilities. However they don't count for things like spells or effects that can only target beastclaw raiders.

From Icewind Assault box

Icewind Assault (not legal in pitched battles)

A Frostlord on Stonehorn, an Icebrow Hunter, a unit of Frost Sabres, a unit of Icefall Yhetees, a Mournfang Pack and a Thundertusk Beastrider.

Your opponent must re-roll hit rolls of 6 that target units from this battalion in the combat phase, and enemy units that have suffered unsaved wounds from units from this battalion suffer an additional mortal wound on a roll of a 6 at the end of combat. Note that the second ability only works on wounds dealt by the "beasts" in this battalion, and not the Hunter, or the Ogor riders.

Super-Battalions

From Battletome Beastclaw Raiders

Alfrostun (4470pt. min.)

A Frostlord (either on Stonehorn or Thundertusk), a Jorlbad, a Skal, a Torrbad and an Eurlbad.

Everyone can reroll failed wound rolls in the turn they charged. It applies to every BEASTCLAW RAIDERS model in your army, even the ones that are not in the Battalion.

Svard Alfrostun (2160pt. min.)

A Frostlord on Stonehorn, a Jorlbad (which can take 3-9 Stonehorn Beastriders), 0-1 Eurlbad, 0-1 Torrbad and 0-1 Skal.

Every Stonehorn gets an extra wound and a single Hero can take the Helwinter Vambrace (negates mortal wounds on a 5+). If you take the maximum number of Battalions, the Alfrostun ability is also applied.

Olwyr Alfrostun (1730pt. min.)

A Frostlord on Thundertusk, an Eurlbad (which can take 3-6 Mournfang Packs), 0-1 Jorlbad, 0-1 Torrbad and 0-1 Skal.

The General can take 2 command traits, everyone can reroll runs, and Mournfang Packs get +1 to their hit rolls. If you take the maximum number of Battalions, the Alfrostun ability is also applied.

Army Building

Buy as many SC! kits as you want.

Seriously. Is that stupidly simple.

1 Mammoth and 4 Mournfangs. Just keep adding as you can. T

You thought Daemons and Pestilens here easy to collect? Well, no more, given they still can use a big monster to help them.

Beastclaw Raiders are officially THE easiest army to collect.

Few and awesome models, all of them on just one box. If you magnetize your Mammoth? You basically have everything. (SIX of your units are just the Mammoth kit!)

Note: This won't get you Frost Sabres, Yeetis, or a Hunter...But it gets you EVERYTHING ELSE.

Allies

• Aleguzzler Gargants: can give a behemoth choice that is 20 points more than a hunter

• Firebellies: Can help with hordes, which can be helpful since beastclaws have some trouble.

• Gutbusters: Bring some Butchers to cast and unbind spells. After that bring as many other ogors as you care or not.

• Maneaters: like basic Gutbuster foot troops but more elite

• Troggoths: provide regenerating alternatives to yetis, also the hag can also do magic

Mercenary Companies

• Blacksmoke Battery:
• Greyfyrd:
• Grugg Brothers: They don’t provide anything that your normal models don’t already have, but they have do give you a chance to create some Frost Giant looking guys, which is never a bad thing.
• Gutstuffers: They can re-roll charge rolls but they are forced to charge at the closest enemy unit within 12". It's you call if you want to use this company.
• Nimyard’s Rough-Riders: The virgin cavalry that will leave your fellow Raiders roaring with laughter for days at their incompetence.
• Order of the Blood-Drenched Rose: The chad cavalry that synergizes exceptionally well with your fellow Raiders.
• Rampagers:
• Skroug’s Menagerie: Similar deal as the Grugg Brothers, but with only one Gargant. Though the Chaos Warhounds would make for a ice themed wolf pack.
• Sons of the Lichemaster:
• Tenebrous Court: