Warhammer Magic

This page is in need of cleanup. Srsly. It's a fucking mess.

Forget your sissy mutant powers, Warhammer Fantasy Magic is where it's at. It's so great in fact that it has a whole phase to itself, the first thing after Movement in fact while in 40k there is only 3 phases with the special powers shoved in as almost an afterthought.

The fluff behind Warhammer Magic is that your Wizard/Slann/Witch/whatever spellcaster you are using is ripping pure Warp energy with the power of their will, reforming it into what they wish it to be (usually following a tried and true method, but there's exceptions) and throwing the resulting energy into the air around them. If you're lucky all will go according to plan, if he is not then something strange can happen like Tzeentch or a god interferes, or instead of Warp energy they suck up a Daemon (or Draigo) by mistake. Either way, a mistake usually results in an explosion of raw energy (and sometimes Warp-based fuckery occurring). Generally speaking, unless you're playing a particular kind of High Elf list this means your spellcaster and most of the things around him are now sparkly dust or unthinking things with tentacles. So why would you bother with Magic if it's so dangerous? The same reason you're playing Warhammer in the first place: to kill shit so dead that not even Macha wearing a platemail g-string could raise them! *Rimshot*

The crunch of magic is that each turn, you roll to see how much magic is available to use (2d6 d6 dice is what you get in the main pool, plus for each spellcaster you have on the field you roll an additional d6 and for each result of 6 from said spellcasters you get one extra dice for the pool, although you can never have more than 12). The other player then gets a number of dice to use to fuck up the caster's magic equal to the highest two dice rolls from the other player's rolls (never more than twelve). Once per turn, each wizard can attempt to cast each spell they know until they fuck up, fail to cast a spell, or the sum of the dice rolled on a spell is 1 or 2 at which point they stop for that turn. Each spell has a casting value, and many spells have a powered up version you can try for instead. You throw as many dice as you want from your dice pool trying to get that number or higher to make the spell work. You also add the level of the spellcaster (1 through 4, although a few rare 5's exist) to the resulting attempts. If they roll two or more 6's then the spell cannot be dispelled, but Fun occurs via a miscast. Miscasts usually result in an explosion of some kind. To dispel, the other player spends their dispel dice trying to outroll the casting value.

So you can see that spending more dice can cause your wizard to blow up but can also ensure the spell will actually cast and not be dispelled.

There are 8 main Lores to choose from, however most armies can not just choose any Lore they want (Vampire Druids via Lore of Life would certainly feel wrong, don't you agree?). Most armies also boast their own magic Lore or at least play the standard Lores with special rules or limitations, because they are more awesome/nerdy/evil/crazy/attuned/high/blessed than the rest.

Magic plays a big role in the Storm of Magic expansion, where you can wield even bigger and deadlier magics. More on the subject can be found on that page.

Light: Wind of Hysh, Lore of Light

Light magic is mostly the friend of the "good" races, since they are the only ones who can use it. It makes you faster and harder to hit and although it only has a few damage spells they aren't bad. The Lore Attribute makes all the damage spells deal more damage (1d6 hits specifically) against the Undead and Deamons (so Tomb Kings, Vampire Counts, Daemons of Chaos, and select things from Beastmen and Warriors of Chaos), which makes this magic fairly strong against them.

• Shem’s Burning Gaze: A holy fireball which can pumped with more casting dice to have a very far range and deal more damage. Not bad especially, for a signature spell. Against Undead or Daemons it's a fast moving middle finger that'll crush what it hits most likely.

• Pha’s Protection: Summons the image of some kind of diving thing to protect the wizard and the people around it. You are less likely to get hit in fight and even by cannons, and you can spread that in a lovely 12 inch bubble of cannon freedom. This would be really great for Warriors of Chaos Knights, but that's the drawback to eating babies and raping flowers I guess.

• The Speed of Light: Physical things hit by this spell turn into pure speedforce for a short time. You know these Ogres/Saurus which have really nice stats but a shortcoming in WS and I? You know High Elves hitting you on a re-roll 3? When you said yes (and seriously if you said no you don't play Warhammer or you play High Elves), you will like this spell. MAX WS and I for one Unit or everything in 12 inches, turning a re-roll 3 into a not re-roll 5, easy one of the best buffs in Warhammer magic. Just hope those pointy-eared bastards didn't take it too.

• Light of Battle: Ethereal-style happy thoughts straight from the Warp and gold colored. Making one unit Unbreakable is not always what you want, but most times what you need. This is your spell and you can cast it again in a 12 inch bubble. Also worth noting that when you are doing this, things are probably looking bad for you and this is your last chance.

• Net of Amyntok: Summon a giant sparkly magic net woven by a god. Makes the enemy unit test for S when moving, shooting, casting, going to the toilet, everything except close combat. Casting this on a unit with Teclis and see how well he can cast with his S2.

• Banishment: Shem's Burning Gaze, but cranked up to the max. It's a magic missile that deals 2d6 S4 hits with an additional 1S for each spellcaster with Lore of Light nearby (yours or your enemy's). In addition, the target must re-roll ward saves it passes so you are looking at the ultimate daemon killer, which its name of course implies.

• Birona’s Timewarp: The top spell in Light, makes the laws of time stop applying for a short amount of time (it's magic, that isn't supposed to make sense). Makes your Unit or for increased casting value everything in the 12 inch bubble move Matrix-style. The units double in speed, get ASF and one more attack so cast this whenever you feel like it, and whenever you can muster the power dice.

Gold: Wind of Chamon, Lore of Metal (and Alchemy)

Yep, alchemy; turning whatnot into gold and stuff, a shame it can't buy you additional points with said gold but never mind. The lore attribute allows you to wound your enemy at his armor save, and he has no armor against it (plus all spells count as flaming attacks!) because its melting his face off while he tries to save himself. Good stuff.

• Searing Doom: Shoot little white-hot slivers of metal out of your hands. Standard 24 inch range magic missile causing d6 hits, but does 2d6 if you bump up the casting level.

• Plague of Rust: Better than fielding a Rust Monster, disintegrates the enemy's armor reducing a specific model's armor save FOR THE REST OF THE GAME by one point. You can CONTINUE CASTING THIS ON THE SAME MODEL to further reduce their armor. Because there's nothing funnier than a naked Archaon running from a unit of Skaven Clanrats for dear life.

• Enchanted Blades of Aiban: Wizard magically sharpens the weapons of everyone around him. Target unit gets +1 bonus to hitting with shooting or melee attacks for a turn. Makes them magical AND Armor Piercing. Pretty nice spell when you're running big units, or your favorite unit is meeting its equal on the battlefield.

• Glittering Robe: Caster makes everyone who's his friend some really gaudy magic cloaks that drape themselves around those lucky bastards, which fades back into nothingness within a short frame of time. Gives a unit, or all friendlies in a bubble 12 inches around at an increased casting value, a serious hard scale armor (Scaly Skin (5+)). Probably useless if you play Lizardmen of course since that's like putting alligator skin clothing on an alligator, but +2 to your armor save is fantastic for literally anything else.

• Gehenna’s Golden Hounds: Caster whips a gold whistle out of nowhere and two giant robot dogs appear and kill the fuck out of whatever the caster points at. Spell deals d6 hits to the chosen model, but it gets a Look Out Sir roll. So..why bother? The signature spell of this lore only deals d6 hits anyway, so at raw value this spell is just a casting level 10 for Searing Doom and casting level 9 for the Hounds. So what, right? Well look at what the upped level of this spell does; you increase the range to 24 inches. So with this spell you can have the range, and Searing Doom does the damage. In addition if the target isn't in a unit (probably due to being on Monstrous Cavalry like a dragon, or else is one of those wandering assassin characters like Apophas) then there's no Look Out Sir to take into account and thus this is the better option. This is kind of a good beginning and bad ending so in ordinary circumstances, but understand that it CAN be useful.

• Transmutation of Lead: Makes the enemy's weapons much heavier for a short time. 24 inch range hex, target model has a -1 to WS, BS, and armor save for a turn. Powered up version has a 48 inch range. Lets you cripple an enemy by a bit. Unlike Plague of Rust it's a one-turn effect, but also unlike Plague of Rust this spell makes them hit weaker too. Good for a dangerous model already in close combat or firing at your troops. Good deal to make elite things mediocre and normal things weak.

• Final Transmutation: Here you have it, transforming things into gold and living things on top of that. Choose a unit within 18 inches. Roll a d6 for each model in it, for things with 1 wound on a 5+ it instantly dies. More than one wound only a 6 will kill it. Turning 1/3 of an enemy unit into gold without any kind of save is not bad, and you can even kill enemy heroes with luck. Oh, and the next round every enemy unit within 12 inches of the one that was hit has to test for stupidity on the next turn to avoid running for that unit to carry some of their dead friends away to pawn. Not the BEST of the final spells in the lore choices, but there's just something really fun about using it. If you're really an asshole you can buy some models that you know the opponent has, dip them straight into the gold paint well, and bring them along to put on the field as casualties (unless it's a Dwarf player at which point they'll probably already have said models).

Jade: Wind of Ghyran, Lore of Life

This is the most commonly used Lore by lord level mages. Don't bother to have a level 2 mage the Lore of life, you need 4 level or Loremaster at best because you need the third spell, the Throne to really rock with this Lore and of course other spells so that they can grow stronger. This Lore will make your units hard as hell, is easy to cast and is indeed eco-friendly. The Lore Attribute is the best, healing your mage or a nearby hero for every spell he (your mage) casts.

• Earth Blood: Getting regeneration is nice but only for the unit of your mage, so as long as you're not a Slann or a Damsel in hide, it's not that great of a spell, and Bretonnians have a ward save so its really only for the Slann. But a regenerating horde of Temple Guard is something that will not die under nearly any circumstances.

• Awakening of the Wood: Calling out to make the trees move in a way that would wood elves cry. It's crap as long as it's not buffed AND the enemy is hiding in the woods.

• Flesh to Stone: Yeah turning living beings in stone, albeit not like in alchemy it doesn't harm your units but buffes them up big time with way more toughness. Cast this on elves so that they are hard as Stone, Cast this buffed up on heavy cavalry to make them as hard as ... what? A Landraider crossed with a shadowfield hidden in a Monolith perhaps.

• Throne of Vines: One spell to buff them all, one spell to ... oh wait wrong universe but hey, this spell gives the whole Lore its meaning by seriously buffing the rest of the spells. Oh and you get a 2+ save against your magic going out of control. Less explosions so less fun but probably safer for your 500+ point Slann or the likes.

• Shield of Thorns: Making some hits with low strength on everything in contact is not so bad if you have a horde going on against 3 other units or so. But for itself not that phenomenal.

• Regrowth: You know how your elite mob is growing smaller as those mean cannons shoot it up? No problem here is your answer. Just put the seedling of a few power dices into the ground and your Units will grow back in no time. Warning: to much nutrition (power dice) can lead to spontaneous explosion.

• The Dwellers Below: Here is your one-spell-solves-all-problems-spell. Cast it on a unit and see everything taking strength test, and when they fail they are dead without any save, because little Dwarves crawl out of a hole in the ground and take them with them. Yes those badass mages, and those funny Commanders (which get +3S while attacking) are all for naught and their unit with them. Easily one of the most devastating spells.

Celestial: Wind of Azyr, Lore of the Heavens

Reading in the stars is in, even in the warhammer world. You want to read the future and take the path that will save your ass? Here you go. You wanna take the path that makes your enemy bit his ass? This is your Lore. Oh and you wanna throw lightning and comets on your enemy and feel like palpatine? This is your Lore again. The Lore Attribute helps you against flying units, but there are not that much of them, so never mind.

• Iceshard Blizzard: Blinding your enemies with snowflakes, making him fail more often, because he can't see. Oh and he can't see his pals so his LD is taking a little dump. Not the most devastating spell, but for a cheap price and a signature spell really working well.

• Harmonic Convergence: You know how you have these super-awesome-heavy-cavalry-rapetrain-unit? You attack and only roll 1s and you need only 2s? That is no problem. This spell let you re roll every 1 your unit rolls for a turn, so give it to your elite units and don't fear the ones.

• Wind Blast: A magic missile which pushes enemy units around. Ultimate when you have a Mage on Pegasus to mess up the enemy movement phase, but worth it ever time. Use against Goblin Fanatics, commence trollface.

• Curse of the Midnight Wind: You read the Harmonic convergence? This is the other way around. The enemy unit has to re-roll all 6s it rolls, so no poison or killing blow, or even wounding your monster with T6 while having S4. Everything is fine with this and it comes with a bubble version.

• Urannon’s Thunderbolt: Yeah feeling like Palpatine today? This is your spell shocking your enemy in the ground with a few S6 hits.

• Comet of Casandora: You know these mean Ghosts in SC2 erasing your army with a few nukes? You can do that to with this spell. Ok its not really controllable and fast is also not one of its good pints, indeed its pretty random. But you can wipe out nearly the entire table with this baby if you make a few good throws. And it can not be banned after its out so see as your enemy is running away before the meteorite crashes in his units commencing ARMAGEDDON.

• Chain Lightning: You remember the thunderbolt and this part about Palpatine? I joked. THIS is how you play Palpatine or Thor or any other kind of crazy thunderbolt thrower, potentially shooting a thunderbolt at every fricking enemy unit on the field. Perhaps you should say something like "come to the dark side or perish" while you do this, even if you play high elves.

Grey: Wind of Ulgu, Lore of Shadows

Shadowmagic is iffy, it has damage spells but you are taking this lore to make your enemy really lame and weak, while making your weak little humans/elves phenomenally strong kicking dragons in the balls and in the ground (not necessary in this order). With the Lore Attribute your mage can play ninja and trade places with another character, most times useless, but if you want to hurry away from cc perhaps sometimes clever.

• Melkoth’s Mystifying Miasma: Signature Spells are bound to be good most of the times and this time too. reducing one or all of the following: M,WS,BS,I of a enemy unit for d3. Even better when used in conjunction with the damage spells in this Lore.

• Steed of Shadows: Casting your own shadow Horse, probably feeling like the Ghostrider or something like this. Sadly its not as useful as it was so no thank you, but points up for invisible shadow horses.

• The Enfeebling Foe: Making your enemy weak. Really, really weak, with a bit of luck. This spell is so nice to reduce the danger to your units and it even stays in the game, so your enemy has to ban this or decide to never make a kill with this unit.

• The Withering: Other way around, making your enemy not weak but less though until even an elf can club him down. Like his counterpart staying in the game so your enemy will ban this and don't have the dice to do the same to you in his magic phase.

• The Penumbral Pendulum: Swinging a big, albeit almost invisible, pendulum into the enemy lines. It hits almost like a Cannon but only if the enemy is not evading with a test, so use the miasma to make sure he is not evading.

• Pit of Shades: Throwing plates at enemy units is always fun and here you have a plate that sucks the enemy units to their doom, as long as they don't evade of course but hey it can singlehandedly take out large units especially undead or Saurus.

• Okkam’s Mindrazor: You play elves (the good kind not the overpowered ASF elves)? You know how you hit everything but then nothing happens? This is your answer. Taking your LD for wounding instead of your Strength and see even Dragons and Chaos Knights falling like flies before you. Probably the best buff in warhammer magic, if not than at least top 3. Oh the buff does not stack with LD or S bonus so no great weapons or general LD bubbles.

Amethyst: Wind of Shysh, Lore of Death

Death is always a good name for spells, and its true, there are many deadly spells among this Lore, albeit they are mostly to kill enemy heroes and not so much entire Units. The Lore Attribut would be nice, if there were more unit killing spells in here, so its just one or two power dices a turn with much luck.

• Spirit Leech: Draining your enemy of his will to fight, leaving him without a soul, or something like that. The fantasy version of Eldar mindbattle, this spell will not work against Vampires but against Grey Seer or so it's a strike of genius.

• Aspect of the Dreadknight: Your mage is going to give a unit plastic surgery until they are so ugly that no one wants to fight them. Well not in every aspect but this is also not a widely used spell so forget it.

• The Caress of Laniph: Summoning a wich, which want to know the enemy hero a bit better, and while she's at it she steals his life force ... yeah we all know women like that. Well long story short sniping an enemy charakter without armor saves (duh if the witch is in your trousers you have no armor), only if the enemy is realy strong he can go through it unharmed.

• Soulblight: Your mage sucks a bit on the soul of the enemy making him less strong and though. Works in a freaking 24 inch bubble so it can hit the whole enemy army and making even Chaosknights to mere humans (at least on S and T). Probably the best hexspell in warhammer magic.

• Doom and Darkness: Doom again, a nice word and realy fitting, since the enemy unit which this is casted on has as heroic as a lone skaven in the Chaosdesert. So cast this on the enemy general to take the LD bubble away, or make sure that stupid units get stupid.

• The Fate of Bjuna: Yeah the last sniping spell and it's the strongest as long as the enemy char has no high toughness. Because the enemy is gonna laugh until he explodes and you need to be really though to not explode, a dragon perhaps, also even those might explode, and just think of the cleaning thereafter. So cast this on humanoid charakters and see them explode in laugher. (Would be the most stylish end for a great unclean but the have such a fricking huge thougness, a pity)

• The Purple Sun of Xereus: Also known as the Purple Sun of Prepare your Anus, the Purple Sun of Xereus is a big purple ball of FUCK YOU that floats around on the battlefield semi-randomly, and anything that touches it takes an Initiative Test or DIES. Just like that. Very difficult to cast (the most difficult in regular Warhammer, in fact), but when you pull it off correctly it can murder entire armies of Lizardmen or Orcs.

Bright: Wind of Aqshy, Lore of Fire

You know these D&D mages always throwing fireballs at everything? You wanna be one of them? Good this is your choice. Fire Lore is also your choice if you fight anything flammable, elves of any kind, or other armies with not so good defense but many models. Most armies, especially the evil ones can use this Lore. The Lore Attribute is ... it is there and that's it, it will only help you if you focus on one enemy unit for a whole phase.

• Fireball: Your one-for-all damage spell goes from "easy to cast and not so hard to hit" to "hard as hell to cast and roasting a mammut ... herd". You always want this spell, because you can use it against nearly everything. From flaming a little flanking unit or flaming away this regeneration from this Hydra to turning entire Swordmaster units to dust or softening up this big big horde of core units. When you want Fire magic you want it because of this spell.

• Cascading Fire-Cloak: A defensive spell only working on the mage and his unit. Not really worth it, since you don't want your mage in combat, except perhaps for ogres.

• Flaming Sword of Rhuin: The second best spell in this Lore, because it helps your little, weak elves/humans/anything to wound better and by the way ignore the regeneration of the enemy, especially good for all elves, but general not a bad spell.

• The Burning Head: Your Mage throws a burning and screaming head on the enemy. It's cool, since that is normally something only Tomb Kings can do, but with this spell you can do it too. The usefulness of this is not so cool, except for enemy units with really bad LD.

• Piercing Bolts of Burning: Some kind of fireball for great enemy units, against this 20 row skaven slave unit it's the burner and against every normal unit it's another fireball, so why not?

• Fulminating Flame Cage: So now you imprison your enemy in flames and if he moves, he is toast. Again against really big units its great against heavy cavalry its lame. But it's always funny to see a light flanking unit destroy itself in the charge because of this spell, or not flanking, so that you can win against the enemy in front.

• Flame Storm: Yeah big plates to throw, but only S4 and not really with sniper precision, so no thanks.

Amber: Wind of Ghur, Lore of Beasts

The Lore for everyone who wants to buff his units, especially the hero's. The Lore Attribute will mostly affect you if you play Beastmen or Bretonnia, but even then it's not so much of an effect.

• Wyssan's Wildform: The signature spell and WHAT a spell this is! It will make your measly humans go and win against other units and it will make your Bestigors or Minotaurs go rapetrain against nearly everything for one round.

• The Flock of Doom: Yeah doom sounds nice, but it's only doom if your enemy is afraid of birds. It is like a new episode of hitchcocks "the birds" with a few crows pecking on the enemy unit, good enough to make this stupid harpies go away but there are better options.

• Pann's Impenetrable Pelt: Make one or more heroes harder to wound, it won't save your unit, because the enemy can hit something else most times, but if your hero is currently challenging a dragon or so this spell will make his chance to survive go over the 0%.

• The Amber Spear: With this your mage becomes a magic blot thrower, or a crazy combination of bolt thrower and canon. Not bad against heavy knights and monsters, especially if you are lacking war machines.

• The Curse of Anraheir: Making your enemy stumble over roots and die, is one funny thing to do, especially against this tree-loving wood elves. Also it makes your people harder to hit, what more do you want?

• The Savage Beast of Horrors: Yeah now we're talking. Giving one or more hero's way more strength and attacks and he will rip entire units in two. Really if you have a lot of cheap hero's and can make this spell hit them all at once its good bye for your enemy

• Transformation of Kadon: What was that about more strength and attacks? Forget it, this will turn your mage into a fricking MONSTER, what do you want? A Hydra? A Dragon? A Chimaera? Everything is possible. Ok it prevents your mage from casting, but you will only ever cast this in cc so who cares?

The other lores of magic

While the main flavours of Warhammer magic comes as those above and you will most likely face an average wizard using one of them, many races have their own unique lores as well.

• Lore of Tzeentch: The magic of the chaos god of change, the spells of Tzeentch focus on control, mutation and chaos itself. You can rarely expect to remain the same if you get hit by the mutli-coloured flames of change.
• Lore of Slannesh: The magic of the chaos god of lust, Slannesh's lore focuses on pain and pleasure, distracting the foe with illusions and even controlling them. A bit of a toss up if it will give you an orgasm or make you wish you were dead or both at the same time.
• Lore of Nurgle: the magic of the chaos god of plague, no surprises what Nurgle's magic does here. It is all about wearing down the foe with status effects and wounds. However, they can also regenerate their own troops, if they don't mind rotting a bit too.
• Lore of High Magic: The magic of the High Elves and Lizardmen, taught to them directly by the Old Ones.
• Lore of Dark Magic: The magic of the dark Elves, all about forging pacts with daemons and using their powers as spells.
• Lore of Athel Loren: The magic of the Wood Elves, using the power of the forest of athel loren itself. The spells are about creating advantages for the wood elves, often in forest conditions (make sure to have some tree scenery then wood elf players!)
• Gut Magic: Not really traditional magic, Gut Magic is the magic of the shaman/religious figures the Butchers of Ogre society. They channel the power of their god the Great Maw into acts which produce effects just like magic.
• Lore of Necromancy: A corrupt version of the wind of death used by necromancers and vampires, this lore is all about raising hordes of minions to fight for you and stealing the soul of your enemies.
• Lore of Ice: Used exclusively by the people of Kislev, it is described as the magic of their land.
• Spells of Da WAAAGH! Used exclusively by the orcs and goblins. Orc spells are loud, brutal and unsubtle (just like the caster) and get stronger the more orcs are stuck in da fightin'. Goblin spells are much sneakier and spiteful, focusing on bringing the enemy down to the goblins' level for a good backstab.
• Spells of Plague and Ruin: Used exclusively by the Skaven to inflict disease, crumble buildings and topple empires.
• Lore of the Wild: Used exclusively by the Beastmen, essentially a corrupted version of the Lore of Beasts. Summons various monsters and tides of venomous insects.
• Lore of Nehekara: Used exclusively by the Tomb Kings, buffs for your units, debuffs for the enemy, and a generic vortex.

A few spells are not given any lore. Lord Kroak's only spell is descrbied in detail in the Liardmen army book, but is not given a specific flavour. If it had, it would probably be High Magic or some unknown Lore of Ancient Doom and Cheese.