Age of Sigmar/Tactics/Chaos/Hedonites of Slaanesh

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Grand Alliance Chaos
Hedonites of Slaanesh

Better image incoming any day now....

Lore
Tactics
General Tactics

Slaanesh rises again...

Why Play Hedonites of Slaanesh?

Pros

  • Hands down one of the fastest armies in the game and with the right maneuvering and synergies first-turn charges really shouldn't be that difficult in a lot of instances.
  • Unlike other god focused armies Hedonites of Slaanesh have many abilities that work of very broad keywords such as "Chaos Slaanesh" or effect all units in the host army. Meaning its easier for things like Slave to Darkness and Beast of Chaos to benefit from army specific abilities and synergies. However, there is a good chance this was done because they didn't include new mortals in this battletome, so they had to compensate somehow.
  • Lots of ways to debuff their enemies.
  • The army is incredible at churning through elite and hero-based armies, which means you make every popular army except Daughters of Khaine cry.
  • Khorne is not the only god that punishes wizards.
  • SIGVALD HAS RETURNED!!!

Cons

  • The army is expensive to purchase. An unique range with all new mortals only being used in Age of Sigmar means you will pay a premium to play.
  • You are character driven, and the army is pretty spendy points wise. When you lose all your heroes, you can no longer summon which really hampers your force.
  • They will probably struggle somewhat against horde armies, as most of their toolkits are based around dishing out mortal wounds or attacks with rend instead of doing a massive amount of no-rend attacks. Spam Daemonettes & Bladebringers to offset this.
  • Your army's squishy for a Chaos army. You can debuff your foes, but you'll have to to survive.

Rulebooks

Faction rules and abilities: Battletome Hedonites of Slaanesh 2021


Latest Matched play points: Battletome Hedonites of Slaanesh 2021

Core rules: here

Matched play rules, battleplans and expansions: General's Handbook 2022-23 Season 2, plus the battleplans from the Core Book.

Supplement all the above with any Errata and Designers' Commentary from the FAQs.

Allegiance Abilities

Feast of Depravities

You can summon units of SLAANESH DAEMONS to the battlefield if you collect enough depravity points. At the end of the battle shock phase, you receive 1 depravity point for each unit on the battlefield that had a wound or mortal wound that was not negated allocated to it in that turn, or has fewer models than it had at the start of the turn. Depending on which host you belong to, you can generate more through other means.

Note that when you spend these at the end of the movement phase, you retain any excess depravity points. e.g., If you have 13 and you summon an Infernal Enrapturess for 7, you will have 6 left over.

Summoning cost are:

1 Keeper of secrets 12

30 Daemonettes 12

3 Seeker chariots 10

20 Daemonettes 10

1 Contorted Epitome 9

1 Bladebringer, Herald on Exalted chariot 9

3 Fiends 8

1 Bladebringer, herald on hellflayer 8

1 Exalted Charoit 7

1 infernal enrapturess 7

1 Bladebringer, Herald on Seeker chariot 7

1 Hellflayer 7

1 Viceleader 6

1 Seeker Chariot 6

5 Seekers 6

10 Daemonettes 6

Hosts of Slaanesh

You MUST select your HEDONITES army to be to be INVADERS, PRETENDERS or GODSEEKERS. Which host you belong to will affect your battalions, command traits, artefacts, etc.

Basically, Hedonites are 3 armies that share units.

Locus of Diversion

At the end of the charge phase (either player's turn), each HEDONITES DAEMON HERO in your army may select an enemy unit within 1" and roll a dice. On a 4+, the enemy unit you targeted cannot make a pile in move when they are chosen to fight. Add 1 to the roll if your Hero is a GREATER DAEMON, so your Keepers are making this happen on a 3+.

Euphoric Killers

Exploding 6s, Slaanesh edition. Unmodified melee hits of 6 for HEDONITES do 2 attacks instead of 1, and if you have 20+ models in the unit, the 6s make 3 attacks instead.

Spell Lores

Lore of Slaanesh

For the SLAANESH DAEMON WIZARDS.

  1. Lash of Slaanesh. Casting Value 5. Pick a point within 12" of the caster that is visible to them. Draw a straight line 1mm wide from the closest part of the caster's base. Roll a die for each enemy model passed by this line. On a 4+, they take a mortal wound. A sure way to generate depravity points, if not particularly strong. Slaanesh units are unaffected.
  2. Pavane of Slaanesh. Casting Value 7. Pick an enemy hero within 6" that is visible to the caster. Roll a number of dice equal to the enemy hero's movement characteristic. For every 5+, they take a mortal wound. Punish those fast units! Remember to use it on enemy heroes that are fast, especially if their speed is further buffed. A FEC Blisterskin Infernal Courtier with Deranged Transformation has a move characteristic of 20, which means it takes 6.67 damage from this spell. Not very strong in general, though. Does 1-2 mortal wounds on most targets.
  3. Hysterical Frenzy. Casting Value 7. Pick an enemy unit wholly within 18" that is visible to the caster, and roll 1 die for each model in that unit. For each 6, the unit suffers D3 mortal wounds. Wreck those grots, but not a spell that usually generates depravity points.
  4. Soulslice Shard. Casting Value 5. Pick an enemy unit within 18" that is visible to the caster, Roll 2d6. If the roll is higher than the enemy unit's bravery characteristic, it takes mortal wounds equal to the difference. Keeper of Secrets' signature spell, but worse (Actually not quite, KoS spell will do D3 mortal wounds if you beat their bravery, not the difference. And yeah, you don't hit multiple units with this spell, but you have three times the range of Cacophonic Choir). Use after Phantasmagoria for greatest effectiveness.
  5. Phantasmagoria. Casting Value 7. Pick an enemy unit within 18" that is visible to the caster. Roll 6d6, for each 5+, the enemy's bravery is reduced by 1 to a minimum of 1. Use before Soulslice Shard and Cacophonic Choir for best effect.
  6. Born of Damnation. Casting Value 4. Pick a friendly HEDONITES HERO within 6" of the caster. You can heal D3 wound allocated to that hero. A heal to increase the depravity points a hero generates by a small amount. Best cast on a Keeper of Secrets.

Forbidden Sorceries of Slaanesh

For the SLAANESH GREATER DAEMONS.

  1. Path of the dark prince. Casting Value 7. The caster can fly until your next hero phase.
  2. Progeny of Damnation. Casting Value 5. Heal 1 friendly DAEMON HEDONITES HERO within 6" of the caster that is visible to them for D3. If you roll 10+, you heal D6 instead. Born of Damnation but better.
  3. Slothful Stupor. Casting Value 7. Pick an enemy hero within 12" that is visible. Until your next hero phase, the hero cannot use command abilities, cannot run, and cannot charge. Amazing. Simply amazing. Use it on slow heroes or on heroes that have an important command ability like the Harbinger of Decay and watch your opponent rage.

Lore of Pain and Pleasure

For the MORTAL SLAANESH WIZARDS.

  1. Battle Rapture. Casting Value 5. Pick 1 friendly MORTAL SLAANESH unit wholly within 18" that is visible. That unit does not take battleshock tests until after your next hero phase. If the cast was 10+, you get to pick 3 units instead. Not the spell you're going to pick most of the time.
  2. Judgement of Excess. Casting Value 5. Pick 1 enemy unit within 12" of the caster and visible. The unit suffers 1 mortal wound per 5 models in the unit. If less than 5 models are in the chosen unit they take 1 instead.
  3. Dark Delusions. Casting Value 4. Pick an enemy unit wholly within 18" that is visible to the caster and roll 2d6. If the roll is EQUAL TO or GREATER THAN the target's bravery, attacks targeting them get +1 to hit. Use in conjunction with Phantasmagoria to increase your chances. Not as good as the spell on all the HERALDs but will stack with them.

Endless Spells

Slaanesh only

  • Wheels of Excruciation. (50pts) Predatory Spell with 12" flying movement. Casting Value 5. Set up within 6" of the caster and immediately make a move with it. Roll 6 dice for each unit passed. For each roll that is lower than the unit's save, they take a mortal wound.
  • Mesmerising Mirror. (60pts) Predatory Spell with 6" flying movement. Casting Value 6. Set up within 18" of the caster. Does not affect CHAOS SLAANESH. Units that start a move within 12" of the model suffer D3 mortal wounds unless they end closer to the mirror than when they started.
    • Also, after the model moves or is set up, roll 6 dice for each hero within 6", rolling separately. For each 6, the hero takes n-squared mortal wounds. Even though this part of it can do 36 mortal wounds to an enemy hero, the odds of that are 1 in 46656. Don't bank on it. Does 1.83 mortal wounds on average and has a 33.5% chance of doing nothing, with a 60.3% chance of doing 1-4 Mortal Wounds and a 5.35% chance of doing 9 mortal wounds. You will note that it has about a 6% chance of killing a footslogging hero and less than a 1% chance of killing a 10+ wounds hero.
    • NOTE: the warscroll says 'move', meaning it affects all types of movements (namely normal moves, charge moves and pile-in moves) so in your opponents turn it can cause up to 3d3 MWs
    • This is either an okay Endless Spell or an incredible one depending on careful thought on positioning and synergies. Ofc can be wonderful at playing mind games with your opponent or stacking with other abilities, such as Shalaxi's Challenge or effects that reduce movement, helping combo MWs.
  • Dreadful Visage. (40pts) Predatory Spell with 8" flying movement. Casting Value 7. Set up within 12" of the caster and immediately make a move with it. After it moves, pick the closest unit and roll 6 dice. For each 4+, they take a mortal wound.
    • Also, this model gives -1 bravery to units within 12" unless they are CHAOS SLAANESH, in which case they get +1 bravery.

Slaves to Darkness only

  • Eightfold Doom-Sigil: (40pts) CV 5. This spell will only have use when things die around it, so you'd best make sure you make at least one model go down so you can power them up. Now a bonus attack won't sound too scary for your Chaos Lord, but throw it on a band of marauders and they won't be laughing anymore.
  • Darkfire Daemonrift: (50pts) CV 6. This is a purely predatory spell, dealing d3 MWs to anything it goes through. It's damage potential also powered up by other Wizards and Endless spells, which is pretty trollish for, say, Tzeentch or the Sacrosanct Chamber and all their wizards.
  • Realmscourge Rapture: (60pts) CV 7. This Predatory spell is like the Pendulum in that it can only move in straight lines (but in this case can also only go forward, making it even more reliable). Anything that this goes through (or near) suffers not only d3 MWs, but their movement will also be halved, which can positively cripple a unit just in time for your vikings to flatten them.

Beasts Of Chaos only

  • Doomblast Dirgehorn: Subtract 1 from hit rolls for attacks made by units within 3" of this model. BEASTS OF CHAOS models are not affected. Grows by 3" at the start of each battle round. This one is pretty damn cool but comes with the problem of having a casting value of 6 and thus being fairly easy to dispell.
    • On the other hand, it presents the opponent with the interesting dilemma of either wasting his casting attempts to dispel it or letting it get bigger and bigger.
  • Balefire Taurus: A big horde cleaning Endless Spell. It moves 12" a turn and has the Fly keyword. Anything it moves over or ends within 1" of it takes D3 Mortal Wounds, and if the unit has more than ten models, it takes D6 Mortal Wounds instead. Furthermore, Units it damages must fight last at the end of any Combat Phase. While brutal in most situations, it really shines when cleaning up blobs of infantry.
  • Ravening Direflock:Spawns three tokens of evil Chaos murderbirds. Anything that is not a BEASTS OF CHAOS unit within 6" of one of these tokens has their Bravery reduced by -2. However, if any unit finishes a move within 1" of the tokens, they have to set the Tokens up again somewhere within 3D6" of the place they were previously.
    • These are phenomenal, especially since it only requires a BEASTS OF CHAOS Wizard to cast it, but not Beasts of Chaos Allegiance. Find some nice Bravery gimmick and add these birds to increase its effectiveness exponentially.

Invaders

The infantry choice. Those who aren’t too perturbed by the Dark Prince’s vanishing act and fight in massive hordes.

Battle Traits

Figureheads of the Dark Prince

You have up to 3 generals instead of 1. Only 1 gets a command trait, but all 3 are generals for the purposes of command abilities. Unfortunately, they can't use their trait OR command abilities while within 12" of either of the other generals. This lets you spread out your army, or get mileage out of Syll'Esske's command ability without losing access to a command trait. You also get a command point whenever a general is slain for the first time. You can, therefore, get 3 command points out of this max, even if one of your generals dies and comes back.

Escalating Havoc

At the end of the battle shock phase you gain 1 depravity point if 1 of your generals are wholly within enemy territory or D3 if all your generals are wholly within enemy territory.

Invaders Hedonite Host

A Hedonites Host belonging to the INVADERS must contain 2-4 Epicurean Reveler battalions and 0-2 Seeker Cavalcade battalions instead of 1-3.

Command Traits

  • 1. Best of the Best - You can reroll wound rolls for this general while they're within 6" of another hero.

Great on a Keeper of Secrets or an Exalted Seeker Chariot, meh on a Lord of Pain.

  • 2. Glory Hog - At the end of the combat phase, if any enemy units were destroyed in that combat phase and your general is on the field, you get a command point.

Can be awesome. Great for hunting a support hero or small objective holding unit, but means to fully reap the benefits you won't be sending your Hero into combat vs other huge targets due to the need to fully wipe them out.

  • 3. Hurler of Obscenities - At the start of the Combat phase, pick 1 enemy hero within 6" of the general. Until the end of the combat phase, add 1 to hit rolls made by that enemy hero that target this general, but that hero gets -1 to save.

Effectivly gives you +1 rend, but you BETTER kill them or else they will smack back with vengeance.

  • 4. Territorial - Re roll hit rolls with your generals melee weapon if they are wholly within your territory.

EASY. You play a very fast army, so getting there should be no issue. Take the fight to them, and win.

  • 5. Skintaker - At the end of the combat phase, heals D3 wounds if the general killed any enemy models..

A+! Keeps your beatsticks alive longer, heal wounds, means more DP overall. If your general isn't killing stuff, then you are a sad panda.

  • 6. Delusions of Infallibility - General gets 2 extra wounds.

Nothing exiting but solid overall, likely better on cheaper heroes in smaller points games.

Magical Artefacts

  • 1. Rod of Misrule - At the start of the hero phase, roll a D6. On a 1, your opponent gets a command point. On a 2-5 you get a command point, and on a 6 you get D3 command points.

Low risk, likely high reward in an army that really can be starved for CP.

  • 2. Rapier of Ecstatic Conquest - Pick a melee weapon. If a wound roll by this weapon is an unmodified 6, you deal a mortal wound in addition to any normal damage.

Toss this on an Exalted Chariot or Contorted Epitome who have loads of attacks to maximize your chances.

  • 3. Whip of Subversion - At the end of the combat phase, pick an enemy hero within 6" of the bearer. Pick 1 melee weapon that the enemy hero has and another enemy unit within 1" of that hero. The other unit suffers mortal wounds equal to the Attacks characteristic of the weapon you picked.

Sneaky! Great in mirror matches or for proving your opponent's heroes are really big meanies.

  • 4. Icon of Infinite Excess - Once per battle, at the start of the combat phase, the bearer can use this artifact. If they do so, all friendly hedonite units that were wholly within 12" when this artifact was used get +1 to hit with melee weapons until the end of the phase.

Ooooh, aaaah. Use this to boost the force then when its used sacrifice it to your Fane.

  • 5. Fallacious Gift - After setup but before the battle, pick an enemy hero and one of their weapons. At the end of each battle round, if that hero used that weapon, they take a mortal wound.

Meh, uninspiring and likely won't do that many mortals overall.

  • 6. The Beguiling Gem - At the start of the combat phase, pick an enemy hero within 3" and roll 3D6. If the roll is greater than the enemy's bravery characteristic, they get -1 attacks with all their melee weapons to a minimum of 0 until the end of the phase.

Can really be useful vs big baddies, but even with 3d6 is hard to utilize against opposing daemons or undead units.

The Lurid Haze

  • Battle Trait: Blowing Mists - Before the start of the game, you may remove D3 units and then have them come in from the table edge at the end of your first movement phase.
  • Command Trait: Feverish Anticipation Reroll run rolls wholly within 12" of your General.
  • Command Ability: Intoxicating Pall: During combat pick a unit wholly within 12", add +1 to that unit saves.
  • Magical Artefact: +1 to wounds.

When you want to be near your opponent, fast. Rolling a 1 off your D3 means it's likely better to send your single unit to the backfield to seize their objectives. Your units are fast and can already pull off a T1 charge if lucky. Should you get that 3 on that D3 you can really put the pressure on your foe early.

Pretenders

The hero choice, of the uber-buffed centerpiece General variety. The most megalomaniacal of Slaanesh’s followers who think they can take the mantle of fourth Chaos God.

Battle Traits

Heir to the Throne

If the general is a hero, they have 2 command traits instead of 1. No duplicates. Also, all units can reroll hit rolls of 1 with melee weapons if they have 10 or more models.

Warlord Supreme

At the end of the battle shock phase, generate 1 depravity points if your general is within 3" of any enemy units. If your general is within 3" of 2 or more enemy units, receive D3 instead of 1.

Pretenders Hedonite Host

A Supreme Sybarites Batallion in a PRETENDERS HOST must have only 1 CHAOS SLAANESH HERO instead of 3-6.

  • Not that you will ever be using the super-battalion, but this change nerfs the Supreme Sybarites battalion rule as you need to roll a 1 to trigger its effect.

Command Traits

  • 1. Strength of Godhood. Once per combat phase, in step 4 of the attack sequence, you can add 1 to the damage inflicted by one attack made by this general.
  • 2. Monarch of Lies. At the start of the combat phase, pick one enemy hero within 3". That hero gets -1 to hit rolls for the rest of the phase.
  • 3. Craving Stare. If an enemy unit fails a battle shock test within 6" add D3 to the amount that flee.
  • 4. Strongest Alone. If there are no friendly models within 6", you can reroll hit rolls made by this general.
  • 5. Hunter of God Beasts. Add 1 to the damage characteristic of all attacks by this hero that target a MONSTER.
  • 6. Inspirer. Friendly PRETENDERS HOSTS units wholly within 9" can re roll battleshock tests.

Magical Artefacts

  • 1. Crown of Dark Secrets. At the start of the first battle round, pick one enemy hero. You can reroll attacks made by the bearer that that target that hero. You can also reroll unbinding rolls made by the bearer for spells cast by that hero.
  • 2. Pendant of Slaanesh. At the start of your hero phase, you heal D3 wounds allocated to the bearer. Longevity for heroes and more potential depravity to be generated.
  • 3. Sliverslash. Pick one melee weapon, add 1 to the Attacks characteristic of that weapon. Always go for the biggest weapon profile.
  • 4. Scepter of Domination. At the start of the hero phase, if the bearer is within 12" of any enemy heroes and your opponent has any Command Points, roll 1d6. On a 4+, you steal a command point from them. (They lose one, you gain one.)
  • 5. Breathtaker. You can reroll Locus of Diversion rolls for the bearer.
  • 6. Mask of Spiteful Beauty. At the start of your hero phase, pick an enemy unit within 6". That unit gets -2 bravery until the start of your next hero phase.

The Faultless Blades

  • Battle Trait: Send Me Your Best: When your units charge, add +1 to hit Heros in melee.
  • Command Ability: Armor of Arrogance: Pick a unit wholly within 12". They ignore the first 2 wounds allocated to them in that phase.
  • Command Trait: Contest of Cruelty Friendly units wholly within 12" can pile +3.
  • Magical Artefact: Contemptuous Brand: Pick a melee weapon and add +1 to wound when fighting a Hero.

Godseekers

The “need for speed” choice. Wings of cavalry and master hunters who search for signs of their master and ways to free him.

Battle Traits

Thundering Cavalcade

All units get +1 to charge rolls.

Maniacal Hunters

At the end of your charge phase, you get D3 depravity points of your general charged this turn. Add 1 to the roll if any other friendly units made a charge in the same turn.

Godseekers Hedonite Host

A Hedonites Host belonging to the GODSEEKERS must contain 0-2 Epicurean Reveler battalions and 2-4 Seeker Cavalcade battalions instead of 1-3.

Command Traits

  • 1. Hunter Supreme. Reroll hit and wound rolls of 1, with melee weapons, made by the general if they charged this turn.

Exalted Chariots will love you. Save up that CP for a re-roll charge. Very strong on a fast moving character.

  • 2. Sweeping Slash. After this general makes a charge move, each enemy unit within 1" take D3 mortal wounds on a 2+ each.

Could be super useful but why are you charging multiple units?

  • 3. Into the Fray. The hit roll for the first attack made by this general is a 6. Do not roll for this.

Okay... neat I guess. It's a good way to guarantee a Keeper's claw scoring two auto hits thanks to Euphoric Killers, but little help elsewhere. *Second Opinion* This allows a Keeper of Secrets to guarantee 5 mortal wounds per combat phase at top bracket, in addition to another 5 potential damage from the exploding hit, allowing your keeper to reliably kill most baseline heros with a single attack.

  • 4. Trail-sniffer. If this general is wholly within enemy territory, roll a die. On a 3+, this general's melee weapons get +1 attack until your next hero phase.

Could be quite promising and you do want to be in combat after all. The 3+ is the difficulty, as it could not see any use the whole game.

  • 5. Symphoniac. At the start of the combat phase, roll a die for each enemy unit within 3". On a 3+, they suffer a mortal wound.

Okay...neat I guess. Helpful to generate depravity with big base generals, but you have ways to do this elsewhere.

  • 6. Speed-chaser. The general can retreat and charge.

Wheeeee! Somehow survived a fight you can't win but know you can charge into a combat nearby and win? Pretty top-tier pick. This is how you generate a lot of DP in this Host.

Magical Artefacts

  • 1. Cameo of the Dark Prince. Once per battle, at the start of your hero phase, you can activate this artifact to gain 1 command point.

A free CP and then sacrifice the useless artifact to the Fane? OK!

  • 2. Girdle of the Realm-racer. Decrease the bearer's wound characteristic by 1, but the bearer can fly.

I too aspire to be thin and fly. Interesting to toss on an Exalted Chariot to overcome terrain with ease.

  • 3. Threnedy Voicebox. At the start of the combat phase, pick an enemy hero within 3". Subtract 1 from the Attacks characteristic of their melee weapons to a minimum of 1 for the rest of that phase.

Very situational. Feels sorta lacking overall.

  • 4. Lash of Despair. At the start of your shooting phase, roll for each enemy unit within 6". On a 4+, deal a mortal wound.

Boring and only 1 means a poor choice. But can be an easy way to bomb for DP. Take the next artefact for a similar result.

  • 5. Enrapturing Circlet. Enemy units within 3" cannot retreat. At the start of your hero phase, roll a die for each enemy unit within 3". On a 3+ they suffer a mortal wound.

Making foes unable to retreat is great, the free mortal wound potential is just icing. Put on heroes with larges bases to maximize the aura. And the crowd goes wild!

  • 6. Bindings of Slaanesh. At the start of the combat phase, pick 1 enemy hero within 3" and roll 2D6. If the roll is greater than the enemy's movement characteristic, they get -1 to hit until the end of the phase. If the roll is greater than their wounds characteristic, they take D3 mortal wounds.

If you find that sweet middle ground, you get both effects. Both aspects are great, and a solid item where you will never be disappointed with either effect.

The Scarlet Cavalcade

Battle Trait - Excessive Swiftness: At start of charge phase, pick 2 10+ units within 6" of each other, Roll 1 charge roll for both.

Command Trait - Enboniment of Haste: Reroll Battleshock Wholly within 12".

Command Ability - Vicious Spurs: At start of combat, each unmodified 6 to save deal MW to the attacker.

Magical Artefact:

-

Syll'Esskan Host

Found in White Dwarf, October 2019 Issue. Note that this host has NO command traits and NO artefacts, meaning you’re intended to take Syll’Esske as your general. The symmetrical choice. Obviously intended for more narrative games, though can still be useful as a nice middle ground between Slaves to Darkness and Hedonites.

Battle Traits

Common Purpose

At the start of the battle, if you have the an equal number of MORTAL and DAEMON units, you gain D3 command points. If you have more than 12 units, you get D6 instead.

Syll'Esske counts as both 1 MORTAL unit and 1 DAEMON unit for this rule.

Deadly Symbiosis

If a Slaanesh Hero is within (not wholly within, just within) 12" of Syll'Esske, they generate double depravity. This, of course, includes Syll'Esske themselves.

Syll'Esskan Host

A Syll'Esskan Host can only include the following Batalions: Vengeful Alliance, Epicurean Revellers, Seeker Cavalcade, Devout Supplicants, Vengeful Throng and Daemonsteel Contingent.

Expect an FAQ pretty soon on this. With the changes to how Depravity work, this would ramp up DP radically fast otherwise.

Warscrolls

Heroes

Named

  • Shalaxi Helbane: (Behemoth 310pts) Your fancy new hero magnet and killer. Cheaper than a run of the mill Keeper of Secrets since they lack a command ability, but their unique spell grants themselves rerolls to hits and saves against heroes, which makes their already great 3+ save against heroes even better. Arm them with the whip to take down those pesky MONSTERS. With how few Attacks this KoS has, ONLY throw at opposing characters, not as useful as last edition.
  • Syll'Esske: (200pts.) A Herald riding a Daemon Prince (though not that way, at least not on the battlefield). An interesting beatstick & buff combo. You want them bunched up with mortal and daemon troops, as the duo can give reroll hits of 1 when an equal number of Mortal and Daemon units are wholly within 18", their command ability prevents battleshock tests and their unique spell shuts down the enemy hero command abilities. They also improve their to hit and to wound when someone rolls a 1 to hit them, but they'll die in a straight fight so place them carefully. Either shoulder to shoulder with frontline troops or screen them to still get their 2" attacks in. Considering the points bump everything got & we have more mortal options, these two are way more useable now.
  • The Masque: (130pts.) Named Herald beatstick. Trades spellcasting for the ability to choose to heal D3 or get +D3 attacks in your hero phase. The Masque is deceptively tanky, with a 4+ FNP. Best used against slow enemies to maximize the benefit from their Endless Dance ability, which grants an extra 3" of piling in, rerolls to hit against targets slower than with a Move of 10" or less and rerolls to hit and wound against targets slower than with a Move of 5" or less. Cheapest source for Locus of Diversion.
  • Sigvald the Magnificent: (260pts) Back with a new, literally hornier model as a daemon prince entity beyond mortality but lacks the Daemon Prince keyword. Your amazing hunter. With a +3 to charge, and attacks equal to either 5 or the unmodified charge distance, he smacks hard, especially as his saber's D3 wounds can't be negated. Don't toss him at stuff where you can expect prolonged combats or vs stuff like Stonehorns, he has a 4+ FNP but with only 6W wounds a bad role can make the pretty boi go down fast. Proc the Keepers ability to make him strike again means he can fight twice before your enemy can.
  • Glutos Orscollion, Lord of Gluttony: (400pts) Because Slaanesh is not one to be outdone with setpiece models, now he has a massive mutant-drawn palanquin ridden by a fat fuck of a sorcerer (with an exclusive spell being a debuff that halves an enemy unit's movement) and his servants. This is to remind us that, despite how much we meme about Slaany being the God/dess of sex, drugs and rock and roll and fail miserably doing so, he/she/it is the Deity of *EXCESS* as a whole. 18W and he loses attack profiles from his bodyguards as he gets injured. He is meant to be a support character that doesn't mind getting close, but can get bogged down fast.
    • Gluttos is someone that absolutely needs to survive to maximize his utility. As the game progresses, he gains various new tricks such as making fellow Hedonites ignore battleshock, casting more spells, and boosting his casting. If you're going to field him, you're going to have to make sure your army can protect him. You have healing spells, he should always pack one just in case or have a support wizard nearby. Also keep in mind his Gorge on Excess command ability he can cast on himself. So never forget it if the opportunity presents itself to use. As it can really help keeping the big guy around.

Daemons

  • Keeper of Secrets: (Behemoth 340pts) Absolutely amazing. You can choose between the Ritual Knife, Sinistrous Hand, Living Whip, or the Aegis. The Hand is probably your best bet. Has a watered down Feeding Frenzy for a command ability that gives an OTHER unit a second activation; you can't target yourself anymore), meaning it needs to chaperone something else to get the most use out of it. Can also tempt an enemy hero, doing D3 mortal wounds if they decline. If they accept, the enemy hero gets +1 to hit rolls until the next combat phase, at which point you roll. The tempted hero instantly dies on a 4+. It doesn't matter if it's Archaon, the Celestant Prime, Nagash, or Vorgaroth, and Skalok. They drop dead. (do keep in mind you are giving them a +1 to hit for the whole next turn in exchange for them not taking some damage and maybe dying next turn. Be cautious about giving your opponent a buff to take the lead).
  • Soulfeaster, Keeper of Secrets: (Behemoth 360pts) An interesting prospect now, because the regular Keeper's command ability is no longer as powerful as it was, whilst this warscroll has not changed as of Feb 2021. Its ability can generate depravity from enemy HEROES & cause mortal wounds, meaning it generates D3+1 if the tendrils work. Make it a Godseeker general, it generates D3 from a charge (+1 if another friendly charges). If you focus on DP generating in general, you could get 12DP in your first turn, enough to summon another Keeper your next turn. Madness... but intriguing.
  • The Contorted Epitome: (210pts) Your support piece and magic specialist. 2 re-roll casting attempts & 2 unbinds. Ignores mortal wounds on a 2+ and at the start of the combat phase, you can roll 1 dice for each enemy unit within 3" of this model. On a 4+, this model cannot be picked as the target of attacks made by that unit in that phase until this model makes any attacks in that phase. Now wants to be near combat as it has some of the few 2D in the book. Its 5+ regular save & 7 wounds means it's still paper thin, so should always be escorted by regular troops. Pairs well with the Enrpaturess & Fiends to shutdown enemy magic.
  • Infernal Enrapturess: (150pts) Your support and a minor artillery piece. Use's her harp to shoot from afar. The kicker: Re-roll successful casting rolls for enemy Wizards that are within 24" of any friendly models with this ability! Additionally, if the re-rolled casting roll is a double, that Wizard suffers D3 mortal wounds after the effects of the spell (if any) have been resolved. To top it all office, this model can attempt to dispel 1 endless spell and when doing so add 1 to the dispelling roll. However against any non-magic focused army, it's basically useless compared to just taking Blissbarb archers for shooting or a Viceleader herald for the magic.
  • Viceleader (Herald Of Slaanesh: (130pts) Herald on foot. Has a 5+ FNP and can run and charge. Its spell on a 5 grants a reroll of 1 to hit for attacks against one enemy unit, basically useful for everything in your army. Much better than they first appear, especially if used as a "squad". If you don't want to buy the Finecast trash, instead use a model from the Chariot kit. Cheapest source for Locus of Diversion.
  • Bladebringer on Seeker Chariot: (190pts) Herald on a small chariot. On a 2+, does D3 mortal wounds when charging, and can retreat and charge to land those other mortal wounds. Decent but the Exalted offers up much more.
  • Bladebringer on Hellflayer: (200pts) Herald on a Hellflayer. At the start of the combat phase, roll a dice for each enemy unit within 1" of this model and on a 4+, that enemy unit suffers D3 mortal wounds. In addition, for each 4+, add 1 to the Attacks characteristic of this model’s melee weapons until the end of that phase. Has more attacks then the basic chariot, so is a solid blender.
  • Bladebringer on Exalted Chariot: (250pts) Herald on a big chariot, so big it overflows off the base. Basically the Seeker Chariot + Hellflayer + Herald, but can't retreat and charge, unlike the Seeker Chariot version; which you can change via playing Godseekers. It's more like the Hellflayer than the Seeker, where you want your hero's mount to deal as much damage as possible. This thing just blends any lightly armoured unit with its crazy number of attacks. 10W, 23A and no degrading profile makes this a really good choice.
  • Daemon Prince: (210pts.) Fast and decently killy. His CA grants him a 12 inch aura that gives +1 to hit rolls and attacks to friendly units as long as a single friendly model is slain within range by enemy melee.

Mortal

  • Lord of Pain: (150 pts) Slaanesh's first on foot mortal hero. A decent beatstick with 5 wounds, 4+ save, and a weapon that does 5 attacks 3/3/-1/2 and negates wounds on a 5+ and gives them back as mortals if they were dealt in the combat phase. His command ability of re-rolling melee hits is only usable on himself or other mortals. Issue is he is slow, so can't keep up with the likes of Hellstriders or Slickblade Seekers, so at best you pair him with Twinsouls (who have a way to re-roll hits already) or Painbringers. He is a key to a few Battalions, but a little overcosted.
  • Shardspeaker of Slaanesh: (150pts) Our new mortal wizard Rita Repulsa cosplayer, only 1 cast/1 dispell, but a true force enabler that for some (awesome) reason gains an additional combat profile should their spell go off and gets a 3+ save. Their 'Twisted Mirror' ability only has a 9" range, but gives +1 to wound against an enemy unit. Rita Repulsa's spell 'Reflection Eternal' will help protect your squishy units by making one enemy unit have -1 to wound for their attacks in the following combat phase.
  • Chaos Lord: (110pts.) Slow for Slaanesh but killy, with a decent command ability to boot. Don't send him alone against characters more expensive than he is, or he will die. The increased rend and attacks values will mean he's good at killing line infantry and when to send alongside another unit he won't auto-bounce against characters as he used to, in addition, a CA that gives mortal STD another round of attack.
  • Lord on Daemonic Mount: (170pts.) Your budget (for a Slaves to Darkness character) mounted Lord. With the new update, cursed Warhammer now has the potential of mortal wounds on 6s to hit, with the added bonus of healing d3 wounds for killing whelps with your big mallet. Also great for other Slaves to Darkness units as his command ability only affects the mounted options but provides a re-roll to their charge and +1 to hit. He also can take Items from both Mortal and Deamon list.
  • Chaos Lord on Karkadrak: (250pts.) The new mounted lord has arrived, and he rode in style as a full plastic kit. How does this character scream build around? Movement 9", 9 wounds and the always welcomed 3+ save, this lord on battle lizard loves keeping up with his fellow cavalry and bring nothing short of utter destruction. Without any adages, this character boasts no less than 13(!) attacks across 4 profiles, has mortal wound potential both on the charge and with his sword, and can heal with his attacks with his big axe. Sporting classic mortal wound protection that Slaves to Darkness units are spoiled with, and the same command ability as his horse-riding brethren, he is an excellent pick for a Slaves focused army. Pair him with some Chaos Knights or Chariots and reap all the skulls you can.
  • Chaos Lord on Manticore: (Monster, Behemoth, 280 pts.) The Lord on Manticore can have a choice between Flail and Sword, with the Sword being better in most circumstances and a choice between Runeshield, Daggerfist, and Lance. The Lance might be awesome, but since everyone and their grandma will be gunning for your Manticore, the 5+ save against Mortal Wounds might be the best choice. The Manticore is no slouch itself in addition to rerolling Hit against Monsters for its Claws and Jaws attacks. His Command Ability allows a unit of Chaos Warriors wholly within 18" to reroll charge and Battleshock rolls.
  • Exalted Hero of Chaos: (90pts.) Largely unchanged from pre-tome, with an increase of 10 points. D6 attacks make this unit a variance engine (either amazing or garbage, down to luck) even though he activates twice in melee.
  • Chaos Sorcerer Lord: (110pts.) The support wizards Dropped in points and buffed in power. His Oracular Vision ability and Daemonic Power spell have gone from rerolling 1's to flat rerolls for units. This factor, combined with some pretty tasty endless spells and reduced points costs makes for an appealing option for a backfield objective holder who can cast spells to buff combat units and cause damage with endless spells. Potential for several to be taken for mass-buffs as they are cheap enough to pseudo-spam. Keep in mind that all his powers target Slaves to Darkness units, so only useful with them.
  • Chaos Sorcerer Lord on Manticore: (Monster, Behemoth, 260 pts.) Classic Wizard riding a big monster. They are still ok fighters and caster while being cheaper than the Chaos Lord variant. Wind of Chaos will clean up groups.

Beasts Of Chaos

must be included in a Depraved Drove battalion

  • Beastlord: (90pts) out melee's Viceleaders in pure melee but can't keep up with his compatriates (GW expected you to always but them in BoC Ambush and let the rest of the army-run and charge). are good and cheap heroes that can improve the rest of beastmen combat if they kill something.
  • Great Bray Shaman: (100pts) your Beastman speed booster to outpace Deamonetts and BEASTS OF CHAOS endless spell caster. They know Devolve for dragging enemies closer to you and away from objectives and support auras. The go-to choice if you are rolling with the Depraved Drove roster and want to make your already amazing Bestigors even better, you will never go wrong if you pick him.
  • Doombull: (100pts) the leader bullgor, being a big bag of depravity holding a heavy axe.
  • Dragon Ogor Shaggoth: (170pts) allocate you want for a Slannesh hero, lots of attacks that can explode into more, some speed, lot of wounds that can become Depravity points, and the most useful is the ability to heal when ties for going first is rolled and having a healing spell.

Battleline

Daemon

  • Daemonettes: (Battleline Min:10 Max:30 110pts) One of the best battlelines in the game, with the ability to run and charge, a 5+ save, a Hornblower that forces enemies to reroll battleshock, an Icon Bearer that regenerates models on a battleshock roll of 1, and a Banner Bearer that lets you reroll charges. At 11 points per model, able to cover 6+2d6", and the only HEDONITES unit that can realistically maintain the triple exploding 6s, they are the cornerstone of most Slaanesh armies.
    • Oddly many people now think Daemonettes aren't the auto-include they were back in GHB2018. They are still great, but it doesn't appear that most lists plop down 90 Daemonettes for battleline and call it a day. They just lost their horde discount. Likely best summoned, 12 DP for 30 is amazing compared to the 10 DP for 20.
  • Seeker Chariots: (Only battleline with GODSEEKERS allegiance, Min:1 Max:3 130pts). Does damage on the charge, and can retreat and charge. You'll have bigger Chariots, so your probably only take them in a GODSEEKERS armies for battleline, but they are hard-hitting and fast battline. Damage output is less than 10 Daemonettes, but faster.

Mortal

  • Blissbarb Archers: ( battleline min 11 max 33 160 points) Pew Pew Pew! These mortals move fast and can run and shoot, meaning with their 18" bows they have a pretty good threat radius. The are taken in units of 11, 10 archers and a homonculi that makes them wound easier. With how Depravity works now, go MSU and split fire to dink many units to quickly accumulate DP. This unit is squishy, and expensive, so if a threat approaches them there is a good chance they should put the lotion on their skin or else it gets the hose again. Likely our new go to Battleline unit.
  • Hellstriders with Hellscourges: (Slaanesh Battleline, Min:5 Max:40 150pts) Come in 5s, and every 5 can have a Hornblower that forces battleshock rerolls for enemies, a Banner Bearer that lets you reroll charges, and an Icon Bearer that gives +2 bravery. With a 4+ save, 14" movement and 2 wounds, these are best used to harass enemy backlines and jam their artillery (or equivalent) units. Having 2 attacks & 3" range (no rend) with the Hooked Tendrils ability reducing enemy melee To Hit on your charge, they're the 'anvil' of the two variations. They can make solid Obj grabbers you don't need to babysit, but are even better at restraining MONSTER types.
  • Hellstriders with Claw Spears: (Slaanesh Battleline, Min:5 Max:40 140pts now) See above. They trade the whips for the claw spears 1 attack with -1 rend & do 2 damage on the charge (as of Shadow & Pain boxset). The 'hammer' variation, they want to charge & take down whatever they hit first time, though 1 attack with the spears with 1" range means they're meant for min squad sizes. Do NOT toss at elite units, they are meant to sweep up damaged/minor threats.
  • Myrmidesh Painbringers: (Battleline with Lord of Pain as a general. Min5 Max 20 150 points) Premiering in the new battletome, the Painbringers are your armored bruisers, each given a fancy sword and shield. Damage output is somewhat limited with only 2A with some mortal wound potential and rend, though solid to hit and wound stats. They can however always re-roll armour saves in combat. Meaning that their true role may be in the realm of being the anvil rather than hammer. This is something slaanesh armies generally don't have a lot of, as most of your forces skimp out on armour. And with enough damage buffs they just might be able to outlast many opponents.
    • The models are gorgeous but are so bad in game. Their abilities and utility are fine but their closest comparisons (Liberators/Chaos Warriors) basically do the same work for 60pts less. The buffs they can get for being Hedonites just isn't worth that bump in points either. Personally, i'd take them as prettier Chaos Warriors until they drop in points or get better stats for their cost.
      • Issue with this is Painbringers actually have better attack profile than Chaos warroirs and keep their better to hit with rend. And it is super easy to remove the rerolling save for Chaos Warriors. To mitigate this you would have to bring large squads, and that is a lot of points to put on CW that don't synergize well with the army abilities anymore. Painbringers bring far more flexibility to the army.
    • That said, they are considerably faster than liberators and can actually stay in front of your linetroops. Personally, i think they are great, they can reroll saves in smaller units than Chaos warriors and faciliate the MSU approach better plus they are a hedonite buffable anvil, which slaanesh needed
  • Symbaresh Twinsouls: (Battleline with Lord of Pain as a general. Min 5 Max 20 170 points) For whatever reason, the legions of Slaanesh tend to make particular use of Daemonhosts to make stronger warriors bound to daemonettes. This grants them some sharp claws as well as two different modes that can be set off each turn, either a 5+ FNP or re-roll hits which can help ofset them hitting on 4s. 2D but no rend makes them fit a strange role, seeming to be intended to slice down low armour hordes which is quite abundant these days. A little expensive for being so squishy but their abilities do afford them some versatility. Though since you can't use both abilities at the same time you really need to plan ahead on how you're going to use them. Could have potential but too expensive to be a point-and-click unit. You need to plan to use their proper ability.
  • Chaos Warriors: (Battleline Min5, Max:30 90pts.) Slower but hardier than daemonettes and boosting pretty good weapons versatility. Makes for excellent backfield objective holders and when paired with greatweapons make pretty good frontal assault troops. Unfortunately, STD units no longer get access to euphoric killers and other abilities only effecting HEDONITE now. However, they are still battleline and have decent base stats. So they still have use but you can’t use the same combos as before. They won't be as swift as any of your other choices, but that's not their role. In a big enough blob of these guys will be pretty difficult to take down and on the charge will be pretty devastating.
  • Chaos Marauders: (Battleline Min20, Max:40 150pts.) A cheap mass infantry with a minimum charge range of 8", for the models' number game when you wanna blobs other than Daemonettes. Decent hitting power and cheap enough that you probably won't care if they get wiped out. Unfortunately, STD units no longer get access to euphoric killers and other abilities only effecting HEDONITE now. Perfect in a Scarlet Cavalcade army as they should be the choice for the single charge battle trait to guarantee your other units get in the fight.

Beasts Of Chaos

  • Gors: (min:10, Max:30, 70/200pts) may not be as killy or brave as daemons but are just as fast (especially with a Bray-shaman), cheaper and the shield option makes them more durable. Compared to the slaangors, they're far more fragile
  • Ungors: (min:10, Max:40, 60/200pts) beastmen Marauders. like all beastmen, they can easily keep pace with the daemon, make cheap Cannon fodder while filing out battlelines

Other Units

Daemon

  • Fiends: (min:3, Max:9, 180pts) Probably our most complicated unit. They disrupt enemy spellcasters within 12", and enemies targeting them in melee have -1 to hit, and if they have at least 4 models, -1 to wound as well. They're best used to hit higher wound models, as the Barbed Stinger does more damage if the target has more wounds. You really want at least two boxes when purchasing fiends as the bonus is too good to pass up, and the more the scarier.
  • Seekers: (min:5, Max:20, 150pts) The fastest unit in the army. They have 14" of movement, can run and charge, and run for 2D6, giving them a threat bubble of 14+4D6 inches, averaging 28". Every 5 models will have a Banner Bearer for rerolled charges, a Hornblower to force enemies to reroll battleshock tests, and an Icon Bearer which lets you regenerate D3 models and prevent models from fleeing on a battleshock roll of 1. They have +1 attack ability if they killed a model in the previous combat phase, though seekers surviving a round of combat isn't a given. A different take on seekers is that thanks to their fast movement and relatively cheap points cost, they can make a good screen and "hammer" , at least in a "OMG that's coming quickly closer" effect. It may not work against every opponent, but even a unit of ten can look imposing considering that Slaanesh is not known for its imposing models. Respectably killy, not very resilient, they deal with enemy backline and archers quite well and can support your flanks almost instantly from the other side of the table.
  • Hellflayer: (130pts) Blender, Slaanesh edition. A respectable 14 attacks, 12" of movement and a 4+ save with 7 wounds means that these aren't too bad... but at the start of the combat phase, they can damage each enemy unit within 1" on a 4+ for each unit, and you add an attack to all melee weapons for each 4+. Stick them at the junction of 2-3 units and watch them go to town.
  • Exalted Chariot: (190pts) The unholy union of a Hellflayer and a Seeker Chariot. They basically are the two units merged, but move slower at 10" and lose the ability to retreat and charge. The sheer number of attacks they can dish out does give them good killing power, & the MWs on the charge allow them to take down elite squads well. Biggest downsize is the base size which allows them to be swarmed easily.

Mortal

  • Marauder Horsemen: ( Min5, Max:30 90pts.) Marauder on horses, Ideally with javelins to maximize the number of attacks. You can also go Flails so more Horsemen can get in there attacks when you rush them in hoards to boost their chance of exploding attacks with their rending weapon.
  • Chaos Knights: (Min5, Max:20, 180pts.) Your heavier cavalry. If you want slower seekers that actually kill something, they've got it covered. The lances mixed with 6s exploding makes an interesting hammer unit when paired with the right synergy, like a Chaos Lord on mount or a Warshrine.
  • Chaos Chosen: (Min5, Max:20, 140pts.) Warriors with +1 Ld and armed with Great Weapons, which is basically a Protector's Halberd without the cool special rules. What's so special about Chosen, then? If they kill at least one model in combat, all other Slaves to Darkness reroll To Wound until the end of the phase. This is pretty devastating and nowhere does it say that multiple Chosen squads can't affect each other with this. So an excellent way to look at Chosen is as a potential buffing unit with high damage potential. Don't compare them to Paladins as they really don't like that. Get them into the thick of things and start killing to buff everyone up.
  • Chaos Chariots: (Min1, Max:3 120pts.) Pretty fast, since they always add D6" to their Move even without Running but outclass by the Daemons. has one more wound but Slower than a Seeker Chariot with and less useful attacks even when charging.
  • Gorebeast Chariots: (150pts) Another even bulker Mortal Chariot. Doee better if charged from a longer distance.
  • Chaos Spawn: That Which Must Not Be Named. Not actually terrible anymore, though far from reliable. A Move of 2D6" makes for potentially fast movement. Similarly, 2D6 attacks per Spawn is potentially strong, but even better is the special rule these attacks come with: If you roll a Double, instead of Hitting and Wounding on 4+, you Hit and Wound on 3+. Just think about it, 12 attacks apiece with good Hit and Wound rolls... Also, five Wounds with a 5+ save to make for pretty hardy models.
  • Varanguard: (Min:3, Max:12, 300pts) Super Warriors lent out by Archaon. They are giant chaos knights with 5 wounds 3+ armour and ignore magic on a 5+, able to Fight twice once per game and get +1 to hit if you have Archaon. Each modle can be armour with an Ensorcelled Weapon for consistency, Fellspear to overcome bigger Armour saves, or Daemonforged Blade can more inflict Damage and MW with good RNG.
  • Slaangor Fiendbloods: (min 3 max 9 140 points) So, remember how that new Underworlds kit had that one sick Slaangor? Well now you can take a unit of 3. They are worse statwise to things like Bullgors and Dragon Ogors but will benefit from your MORTAL HEDONITE buffs, so they could be some potential for stacking abilites (any improvements to their to hit stats can make them reasonably killy). The general concensus is they definately lag behind other options in the book (and lack any way to become battleline). They are supposed to be an all-or-nothing unit, with their abilities to gain more attacks on the charge and potentially deal mortal wounds at the end of a turn after combat. Send them into the enemy and do maximum damage before they get run over. Their few redeeming qualities are their reasonably fast base movement and high number of -1 rend attacks, thus more chance for exploding 6's. Which can be good for racing up the board and getting early depravity points. But you could argue your cavalry could just do that. Overpriced for what they are but you can get some use out of them.
  • Slickblade Seekers: ( Min 5 Max 15 200 points). When you want to mop up a unit and deal some serious mortal wound output. 4W each and FAST. Send them at semi-elite units or to support another character. Even though these majestic knights are 4 wounds each, a 5+ save doesnt let them survive for long, even though you get 20 wounds for 200 points. However with the Seeker Cavalcade batailon and the Faultless Blades command trait you can crank their pile in up to 9". Send them into whatever unit you want to slaughter, touch tips with only one Slickblade, let them hit you for a little bit, then pile in all of your knights and hopefully kill them before they kill you.
  • Blissbarb Seekers: (Min 5 Max 15 180 points). Our new incredibly fast unit that is great at pinging foes for DP early on. Point for point, our new best unit in the book. Surprisingly tanky with 4W, 3 shots apiece too w/ rend 1.
  • The Dread Pageant: (4 unique, 120 points). Our Direchasm unit that is actually playable in real games! Vasillac is a pretty tanky and efficient combat hero; similar to a minor Lord of Pain. Our Slaangor Slakeslash is the sexy beast we wish our new Slaanagor actually were, and a basic blissbarb + chick with a spear. All units on an unmodified hit roll of a 6 do a mortal in addition to their other damage. Interestingly the archer has no attacks back in the combat phase.

Beasts Of Chaos

must be included in a Depraved Drove battalion

  • Bestigors: (Min:10 Max:30 120/300pts.) Elite Gors in heavy armour and more anti hoard killy. Absolutely great in Slaanesh. Some even argue they're more efficient than Daemonettes.
  • Bullgors: (Min:3 Max:12 140pts.) Get the same Bloodgreed rule as the Doombull, а weapon choice of great axes (2x 4+/3+/-2/3) or axe(s)(3x 4+/3+/-1/2) with the option of an additional axe to reroll hit rolls of 1, or bull shields which add +1 to the save rolls against attacks from melee weapons. These options are in addition to horn attacks made by each bullgor (2x 4+/4+/-/1). But the really interesting trait is their Drummer and Banner Bearer abilities: namely, they give +1 respectively to charge rolls and Bravery for each enemy unit within 12" from them. If you want to go full Warherd, take one unit of each and see which ones perform best, but if you take only one unit of them and a Doombull, you're going to want great axes.
    • In a Hedonites list these are a fantastic unit for raking in depravity points. cheapish four wound infantry that dishes out high damage back. Tossup between these guys or dragon ogors as the ogors can take more punishment, but it's hard to argue with the bull's ability to give it.
  • Dragon Ogors: (Min:3, Max:12 130pts.) Five Wounds with a 4+ save, okay Bravery and scary weapons. Each has what is basically a Chaos Knight's horse bolted to it and in addition fights with a big weapon. You get either Ancient Weapons which are three Double-Hammer Liberators in one, Glaives which exchange 2 attacks with 1 more inch of range and a Rend of -1, or Crushers which only have 3 attacks, but with 2 damage each. Re-roll hit rolls of 1 if wholly within 12" of a Shaggoth.
    • Glaives have an interesting use in that you can hide your dragon ogors behind your 25mm/32mm based guys (just in case may want 2 ranks of 25mm bases to have maximum distance). Enemies with 1" weapons won't be able to touch your DO, while the glaives let your DO wack enemies (though you do lose your claw attacks).
  • Ungor Raiders: (Min:10 Max:40 80pts.) Same as Ungors, but with bows instead of shields and a basic scouting rule. Don't think their bows are good, by the way, but the mass of shots really helps. Don't underestimate 30-40 strong ungor raider units. They can output a surprising amount of dakka (for Beasts anyways, they're not crossbow freeguild!). in a melee-centric and focused faction that can quickly get into melee, missiles will be taken out of you horde budget, can damage distant enemies while holding objectives.
  • Centigors: (Min:5 Max:20 80pts.) discount seekers, not as good all category except melee saves but you can take more of them.
  • Tuskgor Chariots: (Min:1 Max:4 60/200pts.) a cheapest of chariots, only coming the closest to having the same effectiveness as a seeker chariot the turn it charges a ten man+ hoard of order guys.

Behemoths

  • Chaos War Mammoth: (Monster, Behemoth, 320pts) This monster has 22 wounds! Although it's only packing a 4+ save. All of his attacks cause at least D3 wounds, making it an exceptional monster-killer when at full strength. Its real strength lies in supporting a Marauder charge, however - as well as imposing -2 to any Battleshock tests to any unfortunate unit that gets charged, the Mammoth can also help Marauder or Marauder Horsemen get in a little extra movement and increase their damage output in combat. Wounding and even killing this thing just makes it cause more damage. If you're playing with a big Chaos horde then there's no finer feeling than running this guy into the enemy's biggest and toughest-looking infantry blob, although expect a few dirty looks for doing so. Keep in mind that he doesn't like magic missiles or war machine fire, however.
  • Soul Grinder: (Daemon, Behemoth, 210pts) Ever wanted a beast that can throw ranged shots AND be great in melee? This daemon might be for you. Same price as a Daemon Prince but with less special abilities. It makes up for it by giving you a boatload of attacks for very good damage. Two ranged attack profiles, one at 20" and six at 16", the 20" does flat 3 damage the rest do 1 damage. CC has six attacks for 1 damage each, 1 attack -2 Rend for D6 damage, and either: two attacks -2 Rend flat 3 damage, OR 4 attacks -1 Rend D3 damage. Big, ugly, and killy, he fills the hammer role. The biggest downside for it is the mostly 4+ to hit. And since it is a Daemon, it can't benefit from CSL Demonic Power spell or the Warshrine. But at 16 wounds and a 4+ save, you can probably find a spot in the army.
  • Chaos Warshrine: (TOTEM, PRIEST, Behemoth, 170pts) Yes, the Warshrine does not count as a War Machine. If you play with caps on Heroes, Monsters and War Machines, this is a huge advantage. What it does is pretty cool, too. First, it has an Aura that grants Mortal Slaves to Darkness units (almost everything Chaos that isn't a Beastmen or a Daemon) an additional 6+ save after their normal save. Can also pray for buffs to Mortal Slaves to Darkness units. Its Slannesh Prayer grants battleshock immunity and re-roll to charges and undivided lets a unit reroll hit and wound rolls. Also of note is the fact that this thing can easily hold its own in combat with a monster-like profile and a bunch of strong attacks. Awful Rend, yes, but they plow through low armour tarpits like nobody's business.
  • Gigantic Chaos Spawn: A strong but unreliable monster burdened with random movement, random attacks, and regeneration. He can put out a fair amount of damage with a mix of its tongues and maws, and has 12 wounds and has a good chance to regenerate and possibly gain more wounds each turn. It's worth remembering that he can be given any Chaos God as a keyword.

Beasts Of Chaos

must be included in a Depraved Drove battalion

  • Cygor: (140pts) Can unbind two spells in each Hero Phase: If he manages to do it, he deals a mortal wound to the caster healing a wound for himself. He can also reroll hit rolls when attacking wizards, which he really really needs, having Hit rolls of 4+ across the board. Two of them can add some okay shooting, but the fact that the damage table influences his range makes him unreliable at best.
  • Ghorgon: (160pts.) Same Blood Frenzy as Doombull and Bullgors, but deals d3 mortal wounds on an unmodified 6. Also, he can slay a specific model within 1" after he makes all his attack if he rolls a dice equal or greater than its wounds characteristic, do remember that it's a model so you can chomp on any leader or musician you can get your grubby hands on. This thing is your sledgehammer, with insanely strong attacks, but very slow for a monster. If you manage the charge and a Doombull is nearby, this thing can rip apart whole units, otherwise, it will stop cannonballs with its face for two turns and then die.

Scenery

Fane of Slaanesh - Your free terrain piece. Unlike other terrain pieces, this does not need to be placed along an edge but must be placed at least 3" away from other terrain or objectives. You can set up summoned units wholly within 12" and more than 9" from enemy units of the fane instead of a hedonite hero. Also, at the start of your hero phase, you can choose 1 CHAOS SLAANESH HERO within 6" of this to sacrifice something. If they sacrifice health, they can take a mortal wound and roll, and on a 2+ they can add 1 to hit rolls for all attacks until your next hero phase. If they sacrifice an artifact (which requires that they have one), it's destroyed, but on a 2+ they can add 1 to hit rolls for the rest of the battle. Note that one-use artifacts that you've already activated CAN be sacrificed to the Fane.

If you took a hero with the Pendant of Slaanesh artifact you can sacrifice health of the hero at the start of your hero phase, thus gaining 1 Depravity point, then immediately restore the lost wound and basically get a DP and hit rerolls for free!

Battalions

Hedonite Host

1 Supreme Sybarites Battalion, 1-3 Epicurean Revellers Battalions, 1-3 Seeker Cavalcades Battalions. (120 points; Min: 1230; Max: 10410)

  • +1 Bravery to everyone in the Battalion. If the army has the CHAOS SLAANESH Allegiance, you get D3 depravity points at the start of your hero phase.

Supreme Sybarites

3-6 CHAOS SLAANESH HEROES (150 points; Min: 270; Max 2310)

  • At the start of your hero phase, roll a dice, if the result is less than or equal to the number of heroes from this battalion that are on the battlefield, you receive 1 command point.

Epicurian Revelers

2-6 units of Daemonettes, 0-4 Hellflayers, Exalted Chariots or Units of Fiends in any combination (180 points; Min: 400; Max: 3540)

  • If the unmodified wound roll for an attack made with a melee weapon by a daemonette from this battalion is 6, that attack inflicts 1 mortal wound on the target, and the attack sequence ends (do not make a save roll).

Seeker Cavalcade

2-6 units of Seekers, blissbarb seekers, slickblade seekers or Hellstriders in any combination, 0-4 units of Seeker Chariots (140 points; Min: 350; Max: 4470)

  • Models from this battalion are eligible to pile in and attack while 6" away from enemy units and can move an extra 3" when piling in.

Depraved Drove

1-4 combination of Beastlord, Dragon Ogor Shaggoth, Doombull, Great Bray Shaman; 3-6 combination of Centigors, Gors, Tuskgor Chariots, Ungors, Ungor raiders; 0-6 combination of Bestigors, Bullgors, Dragon Ogors; 0-2 combination of Cygors or Ghorgons. (150 p, Min: -.pt. Max: -.pt.) From the Beasts of Chaos Battletome

  • Give all units in this Battalion the SLAANESH Keyword and Re-roll failed charge roll if the unit is within 12" of an enemy hero with an Artefact and re-rolls To-Hit if the target has an Artefact.

This Battalion gives you Gors (more massive Daemonettes) and large monsters. Note that this does not give them the HEDONITES Keyword, so they cannot benefit from Euphoric Killers, the Keeper of Secrets' command ability. However, they do benefit from the Hosts and can take those trait and artefacts.

Depraved carnival

3 Lords of Pain or Shardspeakers in any combination, 3 units of Blissbarb Archers. (160 points, Min 930 Max 1890 points)

  • Once per turn, in your hero phase, 1 unit of blissbarb archers can shoot.

Only take if running a unit of 33 archers. The real question is, why would you ever take 3 LoPs? Pretty expensive tax for an already expensive battalion.

Nobles of Excess

3-6 units of Myrmidesh Painbringers or Symbaresh Twinsouls in any combination. (140 points, Min 450 Max 4080)

  • Re-roll wound rolls for melee weapon attacks made by units in this battalion if they made a charge move that turn.

Just why? You are better spending the battalion points on adding 5 more bodies. While you want to be in combat, only triggering on a charge is the real issue.

Exalted Speed-Knights

2-3 Blissbarb Seekers, 2-3 Slickblade Seekers, 2-3 Seekers. (120 points, Min 1060 Max 4820)

  • After set up but before the first battle round D6 units from this battalion can move 6".

This could either be our BEST or WORST battalion. The fact you must take 6-9 units and the Blissbarb and Slickblade are now one of our best units, makes this a very cost effective choice. The daemonic Seekers are pretty niche, but even faster then their mortal counterparts. I wish it was each unit, instead of the d6 you pick out of a potential 9. Your units are already fast, so you can easily get a T1 charge off with this.

The Choir of Torments

1 Infernal Enrapturess, 1 unit of Daemonettes, 1 unit of Fiends, 1 unit of Seekers (120 points; Min: 700; Max: 1670)

  • Add 1 to Attacks of melee weapons while wholly within 12" of the Infernal Enrapturess from this battalion. From Wrath & Rapture.

Make it 30 Daemonettes, 6-9 Fiends, and 5 Seekers, and just keep the Enrapturess screened with the Fiends. Generally worth the price of admission if you want to include Fiends and an Enrapturess in your army (and why wouldn't you?).

Syll'Esske Battalions

The Following are found in October 2019 White Dwarf and can ONLY be used by a Syll'Esskan Host

The Vengeful Alliance

1 Syll'Esske, the Vengeful Allegiance, 0-5 Chaos Slaanesh Heroes, 1-2 Devout Supplicants and Vengeful Throng battalions in any combination, 1-2 Seeker Cavalcade battalions, 0-2 Epicurean Revellers battalions, 0-2 Daemonsteel Contingents battalions (100 pts)

  • As long as Syll'Esske is on the battlefield: all MORTALS in the battalion have bravery 10, and you get 1 extra CP during each of your hero phases.

Devout Supplicants

1 Mortal Slaanesh Hero, 2-6 Chaos Chosen, Chaos Warriors or Chaos Marauders units in any combination, 0-2 Chaos Spawn units, 1-2 Chaos Warshrine units. Each unit in this battalion must have the SLAANESH keyword. (160 pts)

  • When you use the Favour of the Ruinous Powers ability for a Warshrine in the battalion, the prayer activates on a 2+ instead of a 3+.

Vengeful Throng

1 Mortal Slaanesh Hero with a Mount or can Fly, 2-6 combination of Chaos Knights or Chaos Marauder Horsemen, and 0-4 combination of Chaos Chariots or Chaos Gorebeast Chariots. Each unit in this battalion must have the SLAANESH keyword. (140 pts)

  • Once per battle, each unit from this battalion can attempt a Charge from 18" away and roll 3D6 to determine the success. After a successful charge, any enemy unit within an inch of the charging unit takes D3 mortal wounds on a 5+.

Daemonsteel Contingent

1-3 Soul Grinder units. Each unit in this battalion must have the SLAANESH keyword. (110 pts)

  • All Soul Grinders in the unit get +1 to hit and +1 to save.

Army Building

Pick up 2 Start Collecting boxes and a bunch of packs of Daemonettes (or split a Wrath and Rapture set if you can find one), and maybe get yourself a few Heralds, a Contorted Epitome, and a Keeper of Secrets (or two, if you can afford them).

Daemonettes are pretty choppy, but likely best summoned. Blissbarb archers are pretty effective shooters and at holding objectives, along with building up early game Depravity. Beasts of Chaos units are not great in combat but great at sneaking on to ojectives.

You will run some form of cavalry in this army. Its a fact, get over it. Good news, mortals or daemons are great. The new Blissbard Seekers are great harassers and objective claimers while their CC buddies are pretty good at taking down 1 or 2 wound units with ease. StD Knights are strangely not as killy as our Seekers.

Our characters aren't as choppy as many StD units, hard hitting as Khorne, resilient as Nurgle units, or whatever Tzeentch is, but we are fast and can easily take down their cost in opposing points. Nobody will want to be on the opposing end of a Keeper of Secrets or pretty boy Siggy, but we also don't have the best saves so don't be reckless.

Slaanesh is all about toying with your foes. Death by a thousand paper cuts, or maybe poison-tipped arrows. Make your foes come to you, you won't win a brute strength matchup so countercharges or retreating to Objectives and then summoning units is how you will whittle away at your foes.

Our Endless spells are decent, and toss 1 into your own unit for easy DP. We don't have many casters that can do 2 spells, so will be out-magicked. The good thing is our spells can heal.

Allied Armies

  • Beasts of Chaos:
  • Maggotkin of Nurgle:
  • Slaves to Darkness:
  • Disciples of Tzeentch:
  • One-Eyed Grunnok: A Warstomper Mega-Gargant available to all Chaos factions. Recruit a your own monstrous centerpiece at the cost of your entire allied points allowance. As a bonus ability, you can re-rolls jump attacks of 1, and enemies get -1 to hit on previous jump attacks of 6. He’s a best used right in the heat of combat where he can throw enemies at each other, disrupt enemy formations, and just be a giant distraction.

Units with the KHORNE keyword, including Slaves to Darkness units with the mark of Khorne, cannot be taken as allies. You can take them, however, if they are Archaon, The Everchosen or his Varanguard (this has been legal so far with every other Chaos God, please notify if this, somehow, is not legal with Slaanesh).


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