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Age of Sigmar/Tactics/Death/Ossiarch Bonereapers

2020-10-26T13:59:45Z

2406:3400:20F:FFC0:1C9F:B1D1:F985:39CC: /* Famous Legions */

{{Age of Sigmar Faction|Faction=Ossiarch Bonereapers|Logo=Immortis-WC2.jpg|Alliance=Death|Motto=The Skeleton War is upon us! We ride against the fuckboys!}}

Get ready to send a chill down your opponent's spine, for this is no time to be humerus. Nagash is rising, and he has a bone to pick with the Mortal Realms!

==Why play Ossiarch Bonereapers?==
* They're SPOOKY SCARY SKELETONS!
* You liked playing super-elite units like Blood Knights? Well you now play a different elite FACTION!
* You miss the Tomb Kings and this is as close as it gets for now with a vulture being called a Carrion, undead constructs and a war machine that hurls flaming skulls.
* They collect protection payments of bone like a skeletal version of the Mafia.
* Part of the reason for their existence is to troll Sigmarines.
* If you want a sneak peek at what society would be like if Nagash wins, they're a good indicator of that.
* You're sick of those magic-heavy armies like Tzeentch's forces, the Lizardmen and the Lumineth, and want to put them in their place with the Null Myriad Bonereaper Legion.

===Pros===
* [[Awesome|'''Immunity to Battleshock, baby!''']]. Not just bravery 10, the Bonereapers do not take battleshock tests. They have no guts, but they're braver than everyone else.
* Excellent at debuffing their enemies in various ways, especially their bravery (certain Bonereaper Legions, spells, Morghasts...)
* Conversely, they have numerous ways to buff themselves.
* Very durable, and various ways to boost that to the point of being arguably the most durable army in the game.
* Point-for-point, they have some of the strongest warscrolls of the game as few units can beat their ossiarch counterpart (Mortek Guard and Kavalos Deathriders are strong contenders for best battleline units in the game).
* They use the Relentless Discipline Points mechanic (also called RDP) instead of Command Points. Things that screw with CP won't work on them. Despite this, they still benefit from Command Abilities.
* They're a Death army that isn't reliant on Heroes. Unit champions have the HEKATOS keyword, which gives a smaller radius of 6+ Deathless saves and allows them to use RDP abilities. Certain elite units are also HEKATOS, so they can function completely independently.
* Almost everything is 3+ to hit, with various ways to boost it.
* With the Crematorians Bonereaper Legion, your guys can take enemies down with them when/if they're slain
* Nagash and [[Arkhan the Black|bro-tier mini-Nagash]] are part of the army roster; [[Awesome|they also benefit from keywords and Battle Traits]].
* Numerous characters and a unit that can heal anything in your army, including themselves.
* Our Endless Spells are awesome. Not only that, they're soul linked, so no friendly fire and they're always under the casting player's control.
* If you like bone puns...

===Cons===
* Most of your army is slow (though there are a few abilities to mitigate this).
* Shooting is almost non-existent. Apart from the amazing Mortek Crawler, you only have the Gothizzar Harvester's shooting and Nagash's laser eyes.
* No extra protection at all against shooting beyond certain spells. Shooting armies tend to really hurt the Ossiarchs (especially the Kharadron Overlords).
* The army's quite straightforward and lacking in useful tricks. There's no summoning, deepstrike or special combat mechanics like striking twice. Any decent opponent knows what you will do. There is a teleportation mechanic, but it's very gimmicky, limited and requires a lot of cunning to get something out of it.
* Limited means to deal Mortal Wounds. Ossiarchs tend to bounce on really armored units if stalkers aren't around. This can be mitigated with MW dealers like the Crematorians Legion and anyone with "Kavalos" in their name, but still relies a lot on the dice.
* Magic is average and mostly around buffing allies and debuffing enemies. Sure, Nagash and Arkhan are there, but the magic lore is still unimpressive, especially compared to real magical factions (looking at you, Tzeentch and Seraphon).
* Low model count, slightly mitigated by having the means to bring back (re)dead models.
* No allies apart from the Mega-Gargant Drogg; their foreign policy makes the Daughters of Khaine look like the Stormcast Eternals (can still have mercenaries though - unless you bring Nagash or Arkhan).
* Hope you like bone puns...

==Rulebooks==
{{AOSRulebooks|tome=Ossiarch Bonereapers}}

==Allegiance Abilities==
===Battle Traits===
*'''Ranks Unbroken by Dissent:''' [[Awesome|Do not take battleshock tests for friendly OSSIARCH BONEREAPER units]]. Yes, you read that right, immunity to Battleshock. Your enemy's only options are killing, flee or be killed. In addition, you do not generate Command Points. Instead, you generate Relentless Discipline Points at the start of each battle round but lose them when you generate your next batch (they should be all spent before that happens).
**Generate a Relentless Discipline Point if:
*** EACH {{AOSKeyword|Ossiarch Bonereapers Hero}} - 1
*** EACH Warscroll Battalion - 1
*** EACH Friendly {{AOSKeyword|LIEGE}} - 1
*** If KATAKROS is the general and on the battlefield - 3
*** Roll a die for each UNIT with the {{AOSKeyword|OSSIARCH BONEREAPERS}} keyword, including the previous {{AOSKeyword|HEROES}}. On a 6, you get 1.
**Unfortunately, you can't use the Generic or Scenario command abilities (rerolling Run, charge, shooting rolls) but you have a ton of CAs that will Guzzle your DP.

*'''Deathless Warriors''': It's Deathless Minions from Legions of Nagash, albeit with a rename. It allows you to ignore wounds and mortal wounds on a 6+. However, you'll be able to get more mileage out of it than other Death armies, as any unit wholly within 12" of a {{AOSKeyword|BONEREAPERS Hero}} or 6" of a Hekatos (i.e: the leader for your battlelines) count for the ability, removing the need to have your Heroes babysitting your units. Units that are {{AOSKeyword|HEKATOS}} (elite bone warriors units) always benefit from the ability, allowing them to strike out entirely unsupported.

*'''Unstoppable Advance (CA)''': In Movement Phase. Pick 1 unit within X" of a hero or hekatos. +3" movement. It can still run OR charge. You cannot pick the same unit more than once per phase.

===Command Traits===

====Liege-Kavalos====
*'''Ancient Knowledge:''' While on the battlefield, get an extra RDP at the start of the battle round.
*'''Immortal Ruler:''' Deathless Warrior trait works on a 5+ for this general. Always good.
*'''Dark Acolyte:''' Becomes a 1 cast/unbind {{AOSKeyword|WIZARD}} with one Mortisan Lore spell.
*'''Peerless Warrior:''' Melee wound rolls of 6 deal an extra mortal wound.
*'''Hatred of the Living:''' +1 to hit in melee (including their mount) against non-{{AOSKeyword|DEATH}} units.
*'''Life-stealer:''' If they kill any models in combat, heal 1d3 wounds at the end of that phase.

====Mortisan====
*'''Ancient Knowledge:''' While on the battlefield, get an extra RDP at the start of the battle round.
*'''Immortal Ruler:''' Deathless Warrior trait works on a 5+ for this general. Always good.
*'''Dire Ultimatum:''' -2 to Bravery for enemies within 12". Although it requires coordinating a couple of units, you can cause a MASSIVE debuff to enemy Bravery by combining this and the Scroll of Command (see below).
*'''Grave-sand Bones:''' Knows an extra spell from the Lore of the Mortisans.
*'''Oathbreaker Curse:''' Every time your opponent gets a CP, on a d6 roll of 6 it is lost. Obviously Katakros does it better, but this does work more than once per turn if your enemy has CP-generating abilities.
*'''Soul Energy:''' You can re-roll casting, unbinding and dispelling rolls, but whenever you do you take a mortal wound.

===Artefacts===
*'''Relics of the Kavaloi (Liege-Kavalos)'''
#'''Mind Blade:''' Pick one of bearer’s melee weapons. If unmodified hit roll is a 6, and target is a hero, opponent loses a Command Point and the hero can’t use command abilities for the rest of the battle. Apart from only working on sixes this is incredible.
#'''Lordly Phylactery:''' Once per battle start of any phase, gain D3 RD points.
#'''Scroll of Command:''' Subtract 2 Bravery from enemy units within 6” of bearer. Only really recommended if you're going for Mortis Praetorians (see their Legion description for more information). Although, a Liege-Kavalos with this, with a Mortisan general with the Dire Ultimatum command trait nearby drops enemy Bravery by a whopping -4!
#'''Grave-sand Boneplates:''' At the end of the combat phase, roll dice for each enemy unit within 3”, on a 4+ that unit suffers a mortal wound. Vies with Scroll of Command for the second best choice.
#'''Marrow Pact:''' Once per battle, in hero phase pick one enemy unit within 6” of bearer. On a 3+, unit suffers D3 mortal wounds, heal the same number of wounds.
#'''Helm of the Ordained:''' Add one to hit rolls for attacks made by {{AOSKeyword|BONEREAPERS}} units and mounts while wholly within 12” of the bearer. One of the best choices for a Liege-Kavalos if including Bonereaper Legion weapons, otherwise it's the best unless you have a very specific playstyle in mind.

*'''Tools of the Boneshaper (Boneshapers)'''
#<s>Skeleton</s> '''Artisan's key:''' Before using the bearer’s bone shaper ability, roll a dice and on a 4+ either you can pick two units instead of one, or the same unit twice within 6”. The best of the three by a narrow margin.
#'''Lode of Saturation:''' At the start of the Hero phase, choose a unit within 1”, deathless warrior battle trait on 5+ instead of 6.
#'''Crafter Gems:''' Hero phase, heal up to 3 wounds. Once the total wounds healed in the battle is 3 you cannot use it any longer.

*'''Treasures of the Soulmason (Soulmasons)'''
#'''Gothizzar Cartouche:''' +1 to melee wound rolls for units wholly within 9” of bearer if target does not have Death keyword. The best option if you're not facing {{AOSKeyword|DEATH}} armies.
#'''Soul Reservior:''' +2 to cast, but if casting roll is unmodified 10+ artifact cannot be used again.
#'''Thorne of Dzendt:''' +2 to wounds and +2 attacks for mount. A good all around choice, especially for keeping your chair bound wizard safe.

*'''Weapons of the Soulreaper (Soulreapers)'''
#'''Luminscythe:''' minus 1 for hit rolls targeting bearer. +1 casting rolls for bearer for Lore of Mortisans or warscroll spell.
#'''Vial of Binding:''' Once per battle in hero phase, pick enemy model within 12" of bearer and roll a D6. If roll is equal or greater than the wound characteristic they are slain. The best choice if you take a Soul Reaper, and the obvious choice for offensive.
#'''Guardian Reavesoul:''' Negate wound on a 5+ instead of 6+ for deathless minions. Can shatter to negate last wound if about to die. If you're not taking Vial of Binding, this is the go-to choice.

===Spell Lore===
#'''Arcane Command:''' CV5. Gain D3 Relentless Discipline Points. Nice if you've got an extra spell, or had some bad luck with your rolls.
# '''Empower Nadirite Weapons: ''' CV5. Pick 1 {{AOSKeyword|BONEREAPERS}} unit wholly within 24" and visible. Until the start of your next hero phase, the units Nadirite Weapons ability explodes on a 5+ instead of 6, or 4+ if its a {{AOSKeyword|DEATHRIDERS}} attacking with spears after charging.
# '''Protection of Nagash: ''' CV6. 5+ FNP for the caster. If any wounds get through your FNP, and the caster isn't slain, remove them from the battlefield after all wounds have been allocated, and place them anywhere on the board 9" away from enemy models then dispel this spell. Great for getting important casters out of sticky situations, or absolutely hilarious on Nagash if you wanna fuck with your opponent.
# '''Reinforce Battle-shields: ''' CV6. Pick 1 {{AOSKeyword|BONEREAPERS}} unit armed with Shields or Nadirite Battle-shields wholly within 24" and visible. Until the start of your next hero phase, they gain a 5+ FNP but only for mortal wounds. Pair this with a gothizzar harvester, the reroll saves command ability for some truly unkillable troops.
# '''Drain Vitality: ''' CV6. Pick 1 enemy unit within 18" and visible. Until your next hero phase, reroll unmodified hit and save rolls of 6 made by that unit. Good for blunting a spooky unit's charge, but less useful than the other options available.
# '''Mortal Contract: ''' CV7. Pick 1 enemy unit within 18" and visible. For the rest of the '''BATTLE''', roll a die at the end of any phase that the unit dealt damage to a friendly {{AOSKeyword|BONEREAPERS}} unit (but only if it was with an attack). On 3+, the cursed unit suffers D3 mortal wounds. Lawdy, this is probably the most obnoxious spell we can sling, if you can remember who you marked the entire game. Great into low unit-count armies.

===Endless Spells===

An important distinction to note between these Endless Spells and others that exist is that the ones presented below have the '''Soul-Linked''' ability, meaning they always move before Endless Spells without the Soul-Linked ability and are controlled by the casting Player only, meaning your opponent cannot control these Endless Spells to mess with your plans. However on the flip side, the Wizard who cast the spell has a -1 to his casting rolls and cannot cast anymore soul-linked spells while their soul-linked endless spell is up. If the caster dies then the soul-linked spell is also dispelled, so keep him alive if you want the spells to last.

*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls//aos-warscroll-Bone-tithe-Shrieker-en.pdf Bone-tithe Shrieker]''': Gives -1 bravery, and +1 to be hit to enemy units within 12" of it. Simple, but effective. Place it just in front of your battle line to make the enemy think twice, or use it to make holding an objective less than desirable.
*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls//aos-warscroll-Soulstealer-Carrion-en.pdf Soulstealer Carrion]''': Gives LOS to the Soul-Linked wizard. You won't be taking it for this. Instead, you'll be taking it for it's actual ability: Soul Thief. Roll a D6 at the end of each Phase if any Chaos, Order, or Destruction models were slain within 6" of it. On a 1 or 2, the Wizard this Endless Spell is Soul-Linked with heals a wound. On a 3 or 4, it does 1 Mortal Wound on each Chaos, Destruction or Order unit within 6" of it, and on a 5-6, it does both effects. AMAZINGLY fun, if you're not playing into Death, so do with that as you will.

*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls//aos-warscroll-Nightmare-Predator-en.pdf The Nightmare Predator]''': Your standard causes Mortal Wounds Endless Spell (dealing D3 Mortal Wounds to all non-bonecasts within 3" of it), but with a twist - when cast, pick an enemy Hero to be marked as it's prey. If this spell gets within range of them, it spits out d6 mortal wounds instead. For it's dirt cheap point cost, this is almost auto-include.

==Famous Legions==

For awhile the best Legion was Petrifex Elite, by far. But due to Petrifex spam and the resulting complaints GW jumped them with something even they couldn't take - the nerf-bat. Oh, the old gray Petrifex, it ain't what it used to be. Now, Mortis Praetorians and Null Myriad are worth a look. The others are quite situational, though maybe Crematorians are worth considering, especially if you spam Mortek Guard.

<big>Mortis Praetorians</big>
*'''Battle Traits''': '''The Dread Legion''':-1 bravery to enemy units within 12".
*'''Command Trait''': '''Katakros' Chosen''': Once per battle if the general is on the Battlefield, gain D3 RDP points.
*'''Command Ability''': '''Counter-strike''': Pick a friendly unit within 6" of a HEKATOS or 12" of a HERO. If charged, they can re-roll hits.
*'''Artefact of Power''': '''Artificer's Blade''': Pick one of the bearer's melee weapons. It has -3 Rend.
The poster boys, the jack-of-all-trades and the best choice if you’re bringing Katakros, otherwise it's quite situational since other death armies capitalize on "fear-bombing" more effectively (looking at you, Legions of Grief and Blood).

<big>Petrifex Elite</big>
*'''Battle Traits''': '''Unstoppable Juggernauts''': As of the FAQ, they re-roll save rolls of 1 in melee.
*'''Command Trait''': '''Mighty Archaeossian''': +2 Wounds.
*'''Command Ability''': '''Bludgeon''': In the combat phase, give a unit +1 rend on one weapon, can't stack.
*'''Artefact of Power''': '''Godbone Armor''': The first wound allocated to the bearer in each '''phase''' is negated.
Makes your entire army (including Nagash) overall more tanky, gives your commander a few extra wounds for a chuckle, lets you put some durability on a caster via the relic (especially useful if you're bringing some Endless Spells), AND comes with a command ability that makes you killy, just to throw your opponent for a loop. Pre-nerf it added +1 to everyone's armor save and was THE choice of Bonereaper Legion. Now it's decent but no longer the one best choice.

<big>Null Myriad</big>
*'''Battle Traits''': '''Eldritch Nulls''': Ignore the effects of spells on a 5+.
*'''Command Trait''': '''Unsettling and Sinister''': -1 to Bravery in 3", and -1 to be hit during combat phase.
*'''Command Ability''': '''Holdfast''': Make the battle trait work on a 2+ instead of 5+.
*'''Artefact of Power''': '''Baleful Blade''': Pick 1 of the bearer's weapons. [[Awesome|Saves can't be made against attacks from this weapon and wounds can't be negated]] (though they can later be healed).
The magic choice. Their innate rules mean you can focus more on offensive magic, and the Artefact is perfect for any combat character... but is obviously best on a Liege-Kavalos. One of the best choices, but if your meta is very magic heavy this is clearly the best. Make those six hallowheart battlemages cry because they can do nothing to you (and then notice that you can't probably do much to them either, so the battle is probably a void of winds of magic).

<big>Ivory Host</big>
*'''Battle Traits''': At the start of each combat phase, any IVORY HOST unit within 6" of an IVORY HOST model that is wounded is subject to rage for that phase. While subject to rage, get +1 to hit, but -1 save. Dependent on having damaged multi-wound models nearby and can potentially really mess your own forces up, but can lead to you hitting very hard. Fortunately, as it's only for the combat phase, you don't have to worry about it when you're being shot at.
*'''Command Trait''': Every hero phase your general gains 1 attack for all his melee weapons on a 5+. Best to have a Liege-Kavalos as your general for this.
*'''Command Ability''': Cancel the -1 save from the battle trait. This is what makes the Ivory host interesting, letting you pull some shenanigans with a screen unit or pulling some clutch damage out at a vital time.
*'''Artefact of Power''': '''Beastbound Blade''': One of the bearer's melee weapons gets +1 attack.
The combat choice, though dependent on good dice rolls, positioning and carefully picking your fights. Decent, but there are better options.

<big>Stalliarch Lords</big>
*'''Battle Traits''': Run and charge. Pretty good for increasing your threat range on a slow army.
*'''Command Trait''': Pick an enemy hero within 3" at the start of the combat phase. Gain +1 to hit against it but -1 to anything else. Pretty situational and lackluster.
*'''Command Ability''': Retreat and charge in the same turn. Good for repositioning or getting your charge bonuses again. Here's looking at you, Deathriders.
*'''Artefact of Power''': '''Nadir-Bound Mount''': Can only be taken by a Liege-Kavalos. They roll D3 additional dice for their Unstoppable Charge ability.
The speedy and somewhat trollish choice. Do you wanna go fast? Do you want a liege or Zandtos to run fast next to fast cavalry? Or if you take a Liege make them hit like a ton of bricks? Then go these guys. They let you skimp out of the costly battalion with their inherent command ability, and make your already fast cavalry even faster. They even pair well with Stalkers, Morghast Harbingers or Harvesters, to just really irritate your opponent.

<big>Crematorians</big>
*'''Battle Traits''': '''Immolation''': When a model dies you get a chance to cause MW to an enemy within 3" on a 5+, with monsters and characters adding 1 to their roll/going off on a 4+.
*'''Command Trait''': '''Wrathful Avenger''': If the general dies, add 2 to the dice roll for Immolation and it does D3 Mortal Wounds rather than 1.
*'''Command Ability''': '''Levelers of Cities''': One friendly CREMATORIANS unit with 6" of a Hekatros or 12" of a hero ignores cover saves.
*'''Artefact of Power''': '''Searing Blade''': Pick one of the bearer's melee weapons and add 1 to the Damage characteristic.
The TRUE trolling choice. Paired with some revives and harvesters, and laugh as your opponent realizes that killing your models meant their guys died and then revived the dudes they just tried to kill, rinse and repeat.

==Warscrolls==
The common keywords of these warscrolls are: '''DEATH''', '''OSSIARCH BONEREAPERS'''

===Leaders===
====Named Leaders====
*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls//aos-warscroll-Katakros-Mortarch-of-the-Necropolis-en.pdf Orpheon Katakros, Mortarch of the Necropolis]''': (500pts) Like Skarbrand, his attacks get stronger the more wounds he takes. Katakros himself has [[Awesome|Rend and Damage 3]] and he can bop foes with his shield to dole out Mortal Wounds, so he can dish out some hurt in combat, but not until he's taken some wounds representing his companions dying so Katakros himself joins the fray. However, he is one of the slowest characters in the game - 4" move (which doesn’t much matter when he’s on a '''12 centimetre''' base, and you can use the Relentless Advance to make Katakros move 7") and can't fly, but Mortarch of Necropolis allows Katakros to heal up to three friendly OBR units wholly within 24" of his model for 3 wounds worth on your hero phase. Katakros is a friendly OBR unit within 24" of himself, so he can choose to heal himself for 3 wounds every one of your hero phases. Because he is so slow, he hates cannons even more than his boss so engage shooty armies at your own risk. He's pricey in points and cash, but you get what you pay for - no more no less - as he's a good beatstick and support character, just don't try to send him up against other super combat lords who have a damage of 3 or better because he can easily get his shit kicked in, especially if they're wearing the Ethereal Amulet or have some serious wound negation. If your opponent is fielding a character with either (or worse, both) then make sure to screen him out. It's better to not get him in combat and keep your Relentless Discipline points, heals and Command Point sabotage than it is for you to possibly lose all of those.
*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls//aos-warscroll-Nagash-Supreme-Lord-of-the-Undead-en.pdf Nagash, Supreme Lord of the Undead]''': (880pts) Changed from his early forms, Nagash is now 30 points more expensive, and no longer loots the spells from all of his Death-based allies. (but he does know the whole spell lore by default.) Instead, he can now restore wounds/models to 5 of his Bonecast Eternals, and can sling Mystic Shield and Arcane Bolt as much as his undead heart (and casting limit) desire.
**As Nagash and Arkhan gain the OSSIARCH BONEREAPERS keyword, they can heal themselves, making them quite a bit more resilient in an OBR army than when accompanying their own legions. Go figure.
*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls//aos-warscroll-Arkhan-the-Black-Mortarch-of-Sacrament-en.pdf Arkhan the Black, Mortarch of Sacrament]''': (360pts) Much like Nagash, Arkhan is more expensive now, at a "whopping" 20 points more than before. With an extra cast and deny, and the ability to sling Arcane Bolt and Mystic Shield like his Boss, (along with learning the whole spell lore,) it sounds like that price increase came with some buffs. However, overall Arkhan's in a slightly more disappointing place. Curse of Years no longer succeeds on 1s, meaning it's slightly more fair, and his command ability has now been limited to one use a turn, spoiling an awful lot of fun that could have been had.

*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls//aos-warscroll-Arch-Kavalos-Zandtos-en.pdf Arch-Kavalos Patru Zandtos]''': (220pts) A named Mortis Praetorians Liego-Kavalos, with additional abilities like more damage on the charge, rerolls to wound, and another CA that grants a Praetorians unit the same reroll ability. A good choice for leader - practically an auto-take if you want a Liege-Kavalos in Mortis Praetorians, unless you have a specific Legion or combo in mind.

*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls//aos-warscroll-Volkmortian-Master-of-the-Bone-tithe-en.pdf Vokmortion, Master of the Bone-tithe]''': (180pts) He is a Wizard that should be very close to the front lines. He has a chance to prevent a model within 3" from attacking him on a 5+ as a defense. He also has a 12" aura of -1 to bravery and -1 to any Wizard attempting to unbind any spell he casts (which improves in that rare instance an enemy General dies near him). His Unique spell can instantly kill any model within 1" of him on a 5+, and the range on it cannot be modified, which can be used to punish any foolish combat heroes or big monsters he ends up fighting - though it is a bit unreliable to make him a dedicated assassin. Overall, he should be standing behind your troops (ideally Immortis Guard or Mortek Guard), providing the debuff and using his 2 spells per turn.

====Generic Leaders====
*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls//aos-warscroll-Liege-Kavalso-en.pdf Liege-Kavalos]''': (200pts) Your commander on a big-boned mount that gives two guaranteed Relentless Discipline points. Lots of decent attacks, but nothing too nutty. When he charges he has an increased pile in and the ability to fling out some extra mortal wounds. His Command Ability gives a unit wholly within 12" +1 attack. He probably functions best running with some deathriders for a spoopy cavalry wing, though having him roam around your anvils can make for some good time damage output.

*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls//aos-warscroll-Mortisan-Soulreaper-en.pdf Mortisan Soulreaper]''': (120pts) Our CC battlemage, though with his weapon the most he'll be reaping is chaff mobs. His unique spell lets him smack one unit at range, or every unit in CC with him with a few mortal wounds. Probably our worst unit, as outside of his spell-slinging, he's basically a really expensive cairn wraith from nighthaunt. Look elsewhere, unless you really love his amazing model.

*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls//aos-warscroll-Mortisan-Boneshaper-en.pdf Mortisan Boneshaper]''': (130pts) Probably your most included HQ, and part of the <s>glue that holds your army together</s> calcium that strengthens your bone boys. With the ability to restore 3 wounds (or 3 wounds worth of boys (raise 3 Mortek Guard, or 1 Kavalos Deathriders everything else has 4+ wounds)) to a friendly squad and sling a few spells, he feels close to auto-include, especially if you left Nagash or Arkhan at home. His unique spell lets him fling [[Awesome|BONESTORM!]] at an enemy unit, roll for each model within 18" and every 6 deals a mortal wound, a nice anti-horde spell being easy to cast on 5. Keep him out of combat and out of LoS so he can spend your whole game building bonecasts in a dark corner away from anyone else.
** Boneshapers and Immortis Guard are a good match, as they can take wounds for him and he can heal them if they take too many hits.

*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls//aos-warscroll-Mortisan-Soulmason-en.pdf Mortisan Soulmason]''': (140pts) The grand vizier will see you now. He's got a passable melee profile, but that's not why you take him. He's a wizard with 2 casts and unbinds and a unique spell, Soul-Guide, that gives a friendly Ossiarch Bonereapers unit the ability to reroll 1's to hit. Pretty good so far, but it gets better. At the end of your hero phase, on a 2+ cast Soul-Guide more times even if it was already attempted that turn. Basically, bring him when you're spamming catapults (or anything, really) and spread the re-rolling to hit love.
** For extra fun, his potential multiple casts force the enemy to consider whether to unbind these spells or other spells.

===Battleline===
*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls//aos-warscroll-Mortek-Guard-en.pdf Mortek Guard]''': (Battleline, 130/440pts, Min:10, Max:40) Your basic skellies are a decently-protected lot with a 4+ save. Their basic weapons are 2 attacks with -1 Rend sword or a spear, both can double the hits inflicted on a 6+ to hit. The greatblade, on the other hand, trades that for a slightly better wound score, which isn't remarkable but at least keeps the sword's Rend. Their slow speed is helped by their banner giving them +1 to runs and charges, and the +3" move order mentioned above. A good choice for loadout is sword for smaller units and spears for bigger units.
**'''Mortek Hekatos''': This boy is a mini-HQ that gives to your Relentless Discipline pool and keys to a lot of other things. (in big units you have to pack a lot of models very close together to have Deathless Warriors). He's only got an attack more than the base guard, but he also confers a command ability that lets his pack re-roll all saves for the combat phase - much more valuable for their survival.
** With the Petrifex Elite, you can take the spears and use the Petrifex command ability to give them rend, just save the spears for larger units of Mortek Guard.

*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls//aos-warscroll-Kavalos-Deathriders-en.pdf Kavalos Deathriders]''': (Battleline, 180/460pts, Min:5, Max:15) Your basic skellies, but on a horse! When compared to their foot-slogging brothers, these guys have +1 attack and 3 wounds each, the 2 extra pony swings we all know and love (actually, even their horses are on steroids, wounding on a 3+), and a whopping 12" move compared to the former's 4". Not only that, but their spears have exploding hits on a 5+ roll on the charge, giving you a bit more reason to consider selling the rend on your swords.
**'''Mortek Hekatos''': Much like the Mortek Guard, the Deathrider's hekatos has +1 attack with their weapon, but his command ability gives you some mortal wound output on the charge and a double-range pile in. FAQ'd to confirm a unit can only benefit from this once per phase.

===Hekatos===
*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls//aos-warscroll-Necropolis-Stalkers-en.pdf Necropolis Stalkers]''': (180pts, Min:3, Max:6) Speedy, Re-rolling, <s>tyranid warriors </s> skeleton boys. Each turn, these massive lads pick whether they want to re-roll hits, wounds, saves, or add +1 to their weapons' Rend and Damage. While rerolling saves is nice when you get charged by something scary, you'll almost always use +1 rend and damage, as it turns your basic stalker into a stormcast blender, and your unit leader <s>into a literal monster</s> into an equally strong blender as the normal weapons, when enhanced with -1 rend and +1 dmg, are actually stronger than the special weapon, proven by Mathhammer. Their command ability that lets them re-roll run and charge rolls while also ignoring terrain as if they could fly.
** Another option is to run them with a Soulmason equipped with the Gothizzar Cartouche in support which gives +1 to wound rolls. Now, assuming you also have Katakros on the board and you can get Soul-Guide onto your Stalkers then the best Aspect to run is the Destroyer Aspect because this combo would then mean your hitting on 2's and re-rolling 1's '''AND''' wounding on 2's (with spirit blades)
** Upon testing with Mathhammer, in this precise scenario, precision still pulls far ahead if you take 3 of the normal weapons and give them all of these buffs. There is around an average damage difference of 5 per round.
*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls//aos-warscroll-Immortis-Guard-en.pdf Immortis Guard]''': (180pts, Min:3, Max:12)The Anvil to the stalker's hammer. These guys have a lower damage output, with 2 3+/3+/-2/2 damage (though the base rend 2 is nice), and the ability to bop someone with their shields for a bit of extra damage, with the occasional mortal wound when rolling a 6. Their main draw, however, is their base 3+ save and bodyguard ability. Whenever they're within 3" of a friendly hero, on a 2+ they must eat a wound or mortal wound that would have been applied to said hero. Their command ability lets them immediately pile in and swing again after their first go, but only with their shields. Less than impressive, but nice for positioning. Having two weapons means they get more out of the Liege's extra attack command ability, and with their own on top of that the mortal wounds do become bit more reliable.
*'''Morghasts [https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls//aos-warscroll-Morghast-Archai-en.pdf Archai] & [https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls//aos-warscroll-Morghast-Harbingers-en.pdf Harbingers]''': (190pts, Min:2, Max:6) Nagash's angels of death come in 2 flavors, with the archai having a chance to shrug off mortal wounds, and harbingers getting a 3d6 charge. Beyond those differences either one is monstrous combatants, and tough to boot, with 6 wounds 4+ armor and being Hekatos for the death save. They also have a bravery debuff as a bonus. You should always take the halberd for 3 attacks at 3+/3+/-2/3, as they will only do less damage against units with a 6+ save, shown by Mathhammer. You don't want your Morghasts engaging Chaff, as they aren't meant to be wiping chaff for you. Additionally, adding attacks to the Halberd from your Liege is much stronger than doing so to your swords.
** See the above option for Stalkers and apply to Morghasts - you'll lose out on the re-rolling wounds but up the rend to -2 and the damage to 3 (with halberds) so the Mathammer will result in more wounds on average (even if you run swords) - only real issue with this is keep up with the Morghasts on your bone throne.
** Following the Petrifex nerf, these guys just got a bit more viable. They mesh well with quite a few Legions (the Archai save against spells compliments Null Myriad spell nullifying, the Harbingers compliment the Stalliarch rules - and they're probably our best unit against the Kharadron Overlords and more).

===Behemoths===
*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls//aos-warscroll-Gothizzar-Harvester-en.pdf Gothizzar Harvester]''': (200pts, Behemoth) Big guy has 10 wounds and a 4+ save. Has good damage potential with 4 solid ranged attacks and a BUNCH of 2 damage melee swings, with a choice between bludgeons or sickles. These weapons have the exact same melee stats, but different effects. Bludgeons do 2 mortal wounds on unmodified hits of 6 instead of normal damage, (basically giving the guy a Nighthaunt's frightful touch) while the sickles get +1 to hit against units with 5+ models. The Bludgeons are the better choice, as there are other ways to boost hit rolls and Mortal Wounds are useful whoever you're up against. More importantly than that, this guy is a <s>another source of precious calcium</s> healer. Each time any models (friend or foe) die within 3" of him, he can heal an Ossiarch Bonereaper unit within 6" on a 4+. The heals he gives depends on the wounds characteristic of the model slain. It's worth noting he can do this to himself, making his relatively fragile 10 wounds and 4+ save last a little longer.
**For the Crematorians, this guy makes the list even more trollish. Camp him by your Mortek Guard, and when they die and cause mortal wounds, he can heal them right back up. Free mortal wounds, anyone?
*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls//aos-warscroll-Mortek-Crawler-en.pdf Mortek Crawler]''': (200pts, Artillery, Behemoth) The most trolltastic catapult in all of AoS. With a nice 36" range and solid durability, it starts as a remarkably strong springboard for the absolute terror of its ammo types. Once per battle, you can fire a different choice of ammo from two different options and their effects are trolltastically memeable.
**Necrotic Skulls: Your normal shots. You're getting a pretty hefty 3 2+/3+/-/variable shots that start at 5 damage, and dips down to 1 as the model takes damage. Good as a general all-rounder, but pales in comparison to what follows.
***Just to reiterate however: 3 shots at 5 damage initially. Although lack of rend hurts, this is a horde killing volley beyond compare, particularly as their hit and wound rolls are so good.
**Cauldron of Torment: the first of the meme shots. Instead of firing like normal, you roll a dice for every model in the target unit, and whenever you meet or beat their '''UNMODIFIED''' Bravery, one model is slain. "But Anon," you reply, "lots of units have high Bravery! That's not good," To which I say, sure, you're right. this isn't good against undead, Stormcast, or Chaos, but do you know what it IS good against? grots, where you wipe half of whatever squad you fire at. Or freeguild, where you gun down a third of whatever unit you want in a ghostly fog. And we're STILL not done with this bad boy.
**Cursed Stele: Does your local meta not really do hordes? Or do they just love low model-count armies with high leadership? Well, have I got a unit for you! Instead of shooting normally, pick a model within range (so, characters, banners, unit leaders, etc.) and roll 2d6. If you roll equal to or higher than their wound stat, the guy dies (with some modifiers, starting at -3 to your roll, slowly turning to +3 as you lose wounds). This right here is disgusting. With an average roll of 4, you kill support heroes about 60% of the time or get to guaranteed snipe off important banners or unit champions whenever you're feeling cheeky. Did that daemon prince swoop in and drop you to 1 wound? Wouldn't it be great if his failure meant your average roll is now a 10 and insta-gibs the winged sexy, sexy biscuit daemon? (Lovely to consider, but the 6" minimum range on the Crawler's attacks means if it's in melee it's been neutered - protect at all costs!)

===Scenery===
*'''Bone-tithe Nexus''': (0pts) Your mandatory accompanying setpiece is a giant monolith surrounded by bones upon bones. In truth it acts more like a sentry that can chuck out one of four different Punishments each turn: -1 to hit, MW Sniping, causes problem for a wizard, or Can't run and only roll 1d6 for charges. The physical footprint of this thing is BIG. You're supposed to place the terrain before defining and placing any of the game's (neutral) terrain. Placing the damn thing can therefore be problematic in organized events, where terrain is pre-set before the game starts.

==Battalions==
<big>'''Ossiarch Cohort'''</big> 100 pts (min points: '''4450''')
''Katakros, Zandtos or Liege Kavalos, 1-3 Mortek Shield-Corps, 1-3 Kavalos Lances, 1 Mortisian Trident, 1-2 Katakrosian Deathglaives, 1 Aegis Immortal, 1 Mortek Ballistari''
* The Super Battalion.
For putting together all that dough together your general generates 1d3 additional RDPs at the beginning of your hero phase.

<big>'''Aegis Immortal'''</big> 80 pts (min points: '''690''')
''1 Archai, 2 Immortis.''
The ARCHAI from this battalion has the SOULBOUND PROTECTORS ability from the Immortis Guard warscroll. In addition, if you use the SOULBOUND PROTECTORS and the roll is a 5+, the wound/MW is negated instead of allocated to a unit from this battalion. Take with Petrifex Elite to make your characters near unkillable. Solid choice, pun intended, the only drawback is if you want a more offensive playstyle since this is defensive-based.

<big>'''Katakrosian Deathglaive'''</big> 80 pts (min points: '''690''')
''2 Stalkers, 1 Morghast Harbinger''
After units are set up but before the first battleround, if all units from the btn are WHOLLY WITHIN 12" of the Harbingers, you can move any of them up to 6" The best name for a Battalion in all of AoS. Useful for strategic positioning and claiming objectives, it's a decent choice. One foe it does help against is Kharadron Overlords, positioning your Morghasts and Stalkers to better catch their fliers.

<big>'''Kavalos Lance'''</big> 120 pts (min points: '''680''')
''Arch-Kavalos OR 1 Liege-Kavalos, 2 Kavalos Deathriders.''
Units from this battalion can retreat and charge if wholly within 12" of the Liege when the charge roll is made. In addition, once per turn, you can use the Deathrider Wedge CA for a unit from this battalion without spending RDP. Pretty good, especially if you bring a spellcaster with Empower Nadirite Weapons, more so if you're running Petrifex to give the weapons extra rend. Just remember it's a waste of points if you're using the Stalliarch Lords legion because they do this but better and for free.

<big>'''Mortek Ballistari'''</big> 100 pts (min points: '''760''')
''1 Boneshaper, 1 Mortek Guard, 2 Crawlers.''
Roll a die before you allocate a wound/MW to a Crawler from this btn while it is within 3" of the Mortek Guard unit from the same btn. Add 2 if the Crawler is within 3" of the Boneshaper from the same btn. On a 4+, it is instead allocated to the GUARD instead of the CRAWLER.

<big>'''Mortek Shield-corps'''</big> 120 pts (min points: '''630''')
''Either Volkmortian, a Boneshaper, a Soulreaper OR a Soulmason, and 3 Mortek Guard.''
Once per turn, you can use Shieldwall for one unit in the battalion without spending RDP. The cheapest option, and a decent choice, making your Mortek Guard that much more durable and freeing RDP to be spent elsewhere. Petrifex Mortek Guard will be even tougher with a free re-roll, and it's a good safety net if a unit loses their Hekatos.

<big>'''Mortisan Trident'''</big> 110 pts (min points: '''700''')
''1 Boneshaper, 1 Soulreaper, 1 Soulmason, 1 Harvester.''
EACH Mortisan from this battalion can attempt to cast 1 extra spell if WITHIN 18" of the harvester AND the harvester is within 3" of any enemy units.

<big> '''Volkmortian’s Retinue''' </big> 120 pts (min points: '''840''')
''Volkmortian, 1 Mortek Guard, 1 Stalker, and 1 Archai.''
The exclusive battalion from Feast of Bones. At the start of your hero phase, you can return 1 slain model to a unit within 8 inches of Morty.
This battalion, and it's older dreadier brother, is the armies only reliable method of bringing back dead Stalkers and Archai.

<big> '''Volkmortian’s Dread Retinue''' </big> 130 pts (min points: '''850''')
''Volkmortian, 1-3 Mortek Guard, 1 Stalker, and 1-2 Archai or Harbingers, in any configuration.''
One of the battalions from May 2020's issue of White Dwarf. This battalion must be taken with the Mortis Praetorians legion. Comes with the same ability as Vokmortain's Retinue, but also gives you a start of game ability to hurt the chances of a single enemy hero hitting Vokmortian. Because you can take Harbingers instead of Archai with this battalion, which opens up returning Morghast Harbingers to play, this battalion is much better than the regular Retinue. The restriction on legion means that, of course, this cannot really be considered competitive at this time.

<big> '''Harvester Scythe Corps''' </big> 100 pts (min points: '''660''')
''2 Kavalos Deathriders and 1 Gothizzar Harvester.''
One of the battalions from May 2020's issue of White Dwarf. This battalion must be taken with the Mortis Praetorians legion. Battalion lets you add one to wound rolls for the Harvester if within 12 of the dead ponies. Decent if you need to generate the RDP and the artefact, but if you are taking a pair of Deathriders, you might as well be taking a Liege and going for the Kavalos Lance battalion, which also doesn't restrict you out of the better legions.

<big> '''Vokmortian's Tithe Legion''' </big> 110 pts (min points: '''5640''')
''This list of other battalions: 1 Vokmortian's Dread Retinue, 1-3 Mortek Shield Corps, 1 Mortisan Trident, 1-2 Katakrosian Deathglaives, 1 Aegis Immortal, 1-3 Kavalos Lances or Harvester Scythe Corps in any configuration, 1 Mortek Ballistari, 1 Harvester Scythe Corps.''
One of the battalions from May 2020's issue of White Dwarf. This battalion must be taken with the Mortis Praetorians legion.
The boring part of this battalion is that you probably won't ever get to field it, and even if you do, the abilities from it aren't the best. You get to generate an additional D3 RDP per hero phase, and you get to take '''any number of''' Nighthaunt allies, without them counting against ally rules. Super battalions are fun, but this one means that outside of the nearly 6k points you have to spend on it, you also need Nighthaunt to make use of it. It's a good goal for a collection, though.

==Army Building==
=== Getting Started ===
When getting started with the Ossiarch Bonereapers, it's important that you understand the direction you want to take your list in. If you are going for competitive, you're going to be making the most out of Mortek Guard, while if you are going for fun and cool, you have a lot of fun and cool options.

If new to the game, look out for a Feast of Bones set half, as it can be a great start to your Ossiarch Army. Another way to start would be with a box of Mortek Guard and a Liege Kavalos, as this gives you a little bit less than a Start Collecting worth of points, but a lot of cool units to start working on.

=== Currently Competitive ===

The best lists right now center around the fact that Mortek Guard units are incredibly over-statted for their points cost.

==== Heroes ====

A Petrifex-aligned Liege-Kavalos is a mainstay in the General position, as the Mighty Croissant command trait and Godbone Armor artefact make it a 9 wound, ignoring first wounds of every phase monster, along with the extra RDP generation for being a liege, and Mystic Shield making the Liege basically indestructible, as Nagash would have wanted. The other best hero seems to be the Soulmason, as it has great casting for the points, and really fills out the support role of your army.

You can also build Nagash or Arkhan centric lists, and those typically look like Nagash/Arkhan + 40 blobs of guard and a support unit or two.

==== Battleline ====

Mortek Guard, usually a pair of 2 40 blobs are great. Then, fill out the battleline with some of those dead ponies. Seriously, Mortek Guard are only 130 points right now, can be given exploding 5+s and additional rend.

==== Other Models ====

Gothizzar harvesters can be run as a one of per blob of Guard you manage to field. This means that your Mortek Guard is going to have a 4+/6+/4+ save, which is equal to about a 13.88% (or a "1.25+" save equivalent) chance to wound. Per model. That's like having a 0.83+ save.

Mortek Crawlers can be utilized to constantly rampage as your large blobs of guard gum up the board, create incredibly tough tar pits, and slow down enemy units. Another benefit is that if a cheap unit is used by your opponent to attempt to capture an objective, you might be able to wipe it out before it gains any points if you notice it soon enough and identify that part of your opponent's game plan.

==== Spells ====

There are several good spells that you can take, although overall the spell lore is kind of boring. Empower Nadirite Weapons is the best spell in the lore, mainly because most lists are running blobs of 40 Mortek Guard and the spell makes them table. Arcane Command can be taken on a second support wizard, as can Mortal Contract, depending on who you think you might be facing. Reinforce shield walls can also be a decent spell, especially if you are combining several layers of saves to make Mortek Guard the ultimate pit of bone.

==== Using Battalions ====

Because of the ability to increase RDP generation, there are some ways you can use cheap battalions to increase the amount of RDP you have, and lower the amount you need for specific units. One of the best and cheapest battalions is the Mortek Shield Corps battalion, which requires one of your 3 Mortisans or Vokmortian and 3 units of 10 Mortek Guard, allowing you to use one of the CAs on the Mortek Guard for free, once per turn. It also presents you with an additional RDP per turn. The shield wall ability allows you to reroll saves, which means that your 3+/6+ save (for Petrifex elite) turns into a 3+/3+/6+ save. Now, add in one of those Harvesters, meaning that you have a 3+/3+/4+/6+ save, or a 4.63% chance to fail incoming non-rend armor saves. That means that for every 20 armor saves, less than one should convert to a wound.

The Kavalos Lance battalion makes use of a pair of the fantastically modelled (by Nagash or GW) Kavalos Deathriders, and a Liege Kavalos. This battalion allows you to make up some of the difficulties of movement that the Ossiarch are presented with, and the additional RDP are always great for the +3" movement.

Another interesting battalion to consider taking is the Mortisan Trident Battalion, which would be how you go about building a strong Magical Ossiarch Bonereapers army. With the current state of Tzeentch, however, this army might be a bit rough to play. This battalion requires you to take all three Mortisans, as well as a Harvester, allowing you additional spell casts, when close to the harvester. That battalion and an Arkhan would allow you some crazy amounts of spells, and if you can take full advantage of that, you might end up thrashing a lot of armies that can't deal with heavy spell usage. Sadly, a lot of your spells work much better when you have a lot of your points in Mortek Guard, who are core to any army you create.

Other battalions can be taken solely for RDP generation and the artefacts you can take, seeing as your first artefact will generally have to be the Petrifex Elite artefact, Godbone Armor. Both Boneshapers and Soulmasons have decent "tools" for their artefacts, but they are not necessary, so don't feel forced to take a battalion for some bad models.

==Tactics==

===Mr. Arkhan’s Wild Ride===
Take Arkhan the Black as your general, along with two Gothizzar Harvesters and a buttload of Mortek Guard. Finally put them all under the Crematorians legion. Your boney boys will proceed to explode in the faces of the enemy and then be brought back to un-life from the ashes thanks to the Mortarch and Harvesters’ restoration abilities. Is this trolling? Yes. Is it fun? ''Oh yes.'' Also take a Mortisan Boneshaper as a cherry on top for extra heals and bring an Endless Spell or two; cast with Arkhan to laugh off that casting penalty.
* Nerfed slightly in December 2019 Errata. Now Gothizzar Harvester ability only triggers "each time a model is slain within 3" of any models with this ability." No double dipping on the Gothizzar heals anymore by choosing to remove a model within 3" of both. Personally, I'd say this is a good thing since this formation would be pretty much unbeatable without enough ranged firepower/artillery to snipe the 10 wound Gothizzars out of the Mortek blob (and in a single shooting phase to prevent 6 wound auto-heal from Arkhan and the Boneshaper).

===Trolling with Catapults===
Take a Soulmason as your general and put him in a massive blob of 60 Mortek Guard with 4 Mortek Crawlers behind. With some amazing dice rolls (which can be helped by using the Soul Resevoir artefact) the Soulmason can give all 4 Crawlers rerollable hits of 1. The Guard can block any incoming attackers whilst the catapults bombard your enemies from across the table. Even if your skellie dudes are taken out and the enemy damages your Centipedes of Doom it just means that their characters are more likely to be decimated by the most trolling shot in AoS, the Cursed Stele. So just sit back, relax and watch your enemies die before they even reach you.

Alternatively, take 2 of Ballistari battalions. Lose the Soulmason but gain some mad defenses.

=== Feast of Bones upgrades ===

If you started with the Feast of Bones kit, there are several ways to build the army. The first is the (maybe subjectively) best, which is to go with the Rule of Cool - buy the cool models. Run 3x10 Mortek Guard to get Battleline out of the way, and then take advantage of how cool Morghasts are to scare your opponents.

Starting with Vokmortian, 10x Mortek Guard, 3x Necopolis Stalkers, and 2x Morghasts, and the Vokmortian's Retinue battalion, you can instead use the Dread Retinue Battalion, to use Morghast Harbingers instead of Archai. Or, get a second unit of Stalkers and create the objectively coolest battalion, the Katakrosian Deathglaive. Add in some more guard or Kavalos Deathriders, and whatever else you want that you like. That's it. It's the rule of cool. With Morghasts - the coolest rule of cool unit.

The other way is to move to a more competitive list, but sadly, the Feast of Bones units aren't great. Vokmortian is pretty bad, as are Morghasts, relative to what is offered in the army, although they can be used as a tool. You can run Vokmortian as a Boneshaper, especially if you figure out a cool conversion for it. Then, add in a Soulmason and another support HQ or Liege, and a lot of Mortek Guard. Add in a few Gothizzar Harvesters and/or Crawlers, and you have the fundamentals to a competitive list.

==Allied Armies==
No Allies. Nope, none. Nighthaunt hate your guts. Legions of Nagash hate your attitude. Not even the Flesh Eater Courts is crazy enough to be your friend. Don't like it? Go play Stormcast, and go fuck yourself while you're at it.

There is...one however...

*'''Big Drogg Fort-Kicka''': A Gatebreaker Mega-Gargant available to all Death factions as an ally. Functions like Gotrek in the Order factions where he uses up your whole allies allowance in exchange for a very destructive monster of a unit. His most important feature is the ability to destroy terrain, including faction terrain. He also has a unique breath attack that attacks one unit within 3" at the end of the combat phase; roll a dice for each model in the unit and deal 1MW on a 6+.

{{Age_of_Sigmar_Tactics}}

Age of Sigmar/Tactics/Death/Ossiarch Bonereapers

2020-10-26T13:58:27Z

2406:3400:20F:FFC0:1C9F:B1D1:F985:39CC: /* Famous Legions */

{{Age of Sigmar Faction|Faction=Ossiarch Bonereapers|Logo=Immortis-WC2.jpg|Alliance=Death|Motto=The Skeleton War is upon us! We ride against the fuckboys!}}

Get ready to send a chill down your opponent's spine, for this is no time to be humerus. Nagash is rising, and he has a bone to pick with the Mortal Realms!

==Why play Ossiarch Bonereapers?==
* They're SPOOKY SCARY SKELETONS!
* You liked playing super-elite units like Blood Knights? Well you now play a different elite FACTION!
* You miss the Tomb Kings and this is as close as it gets for now with a vulture being called a Carrion, undead constructs and a war machine that hurls flaming skulls.
* They collect protection payments of bone like a skeletal version of the Mafia.
* Part of the reason for their existence is to troll Sigmarines.
* If you want a sneak peek at what society would be like if Nagash wins, they're a good indicator of that.
* You're sick of those magic-heavy armies like Tzeentch's forces, the Lizardmen and the Lumineth, and want to put them in their place with the Null Myriad Bonereaper Legion.

===Pros===
* [[Awesome|'''Immunity to Battleshock, baby!''']]. Not just bravery 10, the Bonereapers do not take battleshock tests. They have no guts, but they're braver than everyone else.
* Excellent at debuffing their enemies in various ways, especially their bravery (certain Bonereaper Legions, spells, Morghasts...)
* Conversely, they have numerous ways to buff themselves.
* Very durable, and various ways to boost that to the point of being arguably the most durable army in the game.
* Point-for-point, they have some of the strongest warscrolls of the game as few units can beat their ossiarch counterpart (Mortek Guard and Kavalos Deathriders are strong contenders for best battleline units in the game).
* They use the Relentless Discipline Points mechanic (also called RDP) instead of Command Points. Things that screw with CP won't work on them. Despite this, they still benefit from Command Abilities.
* They're a Death army that isn't reliant on Heroes. Unit champions have the HEKATOS keyword, which gives a smaller radius of 6+ Deathless saves and allows them to use RDP abilities. Certain elite units are also HEKATOS, so they can function completely independently.
* Almost everything is 3+ to hit, with various ways to boost it.
* With the Crematorians Bonereaper Legion, your guys can take enemies down with them when/if they're slain
* Nagash and [[Arkhan the Black|bro-tier mini-Nagash]] are part of the army roster; [[Awesome|they also benefit from keywords and Battle Traits]].
* Numerous characters and a unit that can heal anything in your army, including themselves.
* Our Endless Spells are awesome. Not only that, they're soul linked, so no friendly fire and they're always under the casting player's control.
* If you like bone puns...

===Cons===
* Most of your army is slow (though there are a few abilities to mitigate this).
* Shooting is almost non-existent. Apart from the amazing Mortek Crawler, you only have the Gothizzar Harvester's shooting and Nagash's laser eyes.
* No extra protection at all against shooting beyond certain spells. Shooting armies tend to really hurt the Ossiarchs (especially the Kharadron Overlords).
* The army's quite straightforward and lacking in useful tricks. There's no summoning, deepstrike or special combat mechanics like striking twice. Any decent opponent knows what you will do. There is a teleportation mechanic, but it's very gimmicky, limited and requires a lot of cunning to get something out of it.
* Limited means to deal Mortal Wounds. Ossiarchs tend to bounce on really armored units if stalkers aren't around. This can be mitigated with MW dealers like the Crematorians Legion and anyone with "Kavalos" in their name, but still relies a lot on the dice.
* Magic is average and mostly around buffing allies and debuffing enemies. Sure, Nagash and Arkhan are there, but the magic lore is still unimpressive, especially compared to real magical factions (looking at you, Tzeentch and Seraphon).
* Low model count, slightly mitigated by having the means to bring back (re)dead models.
* No allies apart from the Mega-Gargant Drogg; their foreign policy makes the Daughters of Khaine look like the Stormcast Eternals (can still have mercenaries though - unless you bring Nagash or Arkhan).
* Hope you like bone puns...

==Rulebooks==
{{AOSRulebooks|tome=Ossiarch Bonereapers}}

==Allegiance Abilities==
===Battle Traits===
*'''Ranks Unbroken by Dissent:''' [[Awesome|Do not take battleshock tests for friendly OSSIARCH BONEREAPER units]]. Yes, you read that right, immunity to Battleshock. Your enemy's only options are killing, flee or be killed. In addition, you do not generate Command Points. Instead, you generate Relentless Discipline Points at the start of each battle round but lose them when you generate your next batch (they should be all spent before that happens).
**Generate a Relentless Discipline Point if:
*** EACH {{AOSKeyword|Ossiarch Bonereapers Hero}} - 1
*** EACH Warscroll Battalion - 1
*** EACH Friendly {{AOSKeyword|LIEGE}} - 1
*** If KATAKROS is the general and on the battlefield - 3
*** Roll a die for each UNIT with the {{AOSKeyword|OSSIARCH BONEREAPERS}} keyword, including the previous {{AOSKeyword|HEROES}}. On a 6, you get 1.
**Unfortunately, you can't use the Generic or Scenario command abilities (rerolling Run, charge, shooting rolls) but you have a ton of CAs that will Guzzle your DP.

*'''Deathless Warriors''': It's Deathless Minions from Legions of Nagash, albeit with a rename. It allows you to ignore wounds and mortal wounds on a 6+. However, you'll be able to get more mileage out of it than other Death armies, as any unit wholly within 12" of a {{AOSKeyword|BONEREAPERS Hero}} or 6" of a Hekatos (i.e: the leader for your battlelines) count for the ability, removing the need to have your Heroes babysitting your units. Units that are {{AOSKeyword|HEKATOS}} (elite bone warriors units) always benefit from the ability, allowing them to strike out entirely unsupported.

*'''Unstoppable Advance (CA)''': In Movement Phase. Pick 1 unit within X" of a hero or hekatos. +3" movement. It can still run OR charge. You cannot pick the same unit more than once per phase.

===Command Traits===

====Liege-Kavalos====
*'''Ancient Knowledge:''' While on the battlefield, get an extra RDP at the start of the battle round.
*'''Immortal Ruler:''' Deathless Warrior trait works on a 5+ for this general. Always good.
*'''Dark Acolyte:''' Becomes a 1 cast/unbind {{AOSKeyword|WIZARD}} with one Mortisan Lore spell.
*'''Peerless Warrior:''' Melee wound rolls of 6 deal an extra mortal wound.
*'''Hatred of the Living:''' +1 to hit in melee (including their mount) against non-{{AOSKeyword|DEATH}} units.
*'''Life-stealer:''' If they kill any models in combat, heal 1d3 wounds at the end of that phase.

====Mortisan====
*'''Ancient Knowledge:''' While on the battlefield, get an extra RDP at the start of the battle round.
*'''Immortal Ruler:''' Deathless Warrior trait works on a 5+ for this general. Always good.
*'''Dire Ultimatum:''' -2 to Bravery for enemies within 12". Although it requires coordinating a couple of units, you can cause a MASSIVE debuff to enemy Bravery by combining this and the Scroll of Command (see below).
*'''Grave-sand Bones:''' Knows an extra spell from the Lore of the Mortisans.
*'''Oathbreaker Curse:''' Every time your opponent gets a CP, on a d6 roll of 6 it is lost. Obviously Katakros does it better, but this does work more than once per turn if your enemy has CP-generating abilities.
*'''Soul Energy:''' You can re-roll casting, unbinding and dispelling rolls, but whenever you do you take a mortal wound.

===Artefacts===
*'''Relics of the Kavaloi (Liege-Kavalos)'''
#'''Mind Blade:''' Pick one of bearer’s melee weapons. If unmodified hit roll is a 6, and target is a hero, opponent loses a Command Point and the hero can’t use command abilities for the rest of the battle. Apart from only working on sixes this is incredible.
#'''Lordly Phylactery:''' Once per battle start of any phase, gain D3 RD points.
#'''Scroll of Command:''' Subtract 2 Bravery from enemy units within 6” of bearer. Only really recommended if you're going for Mortis Praetorians (see their Legion description for more information). Although, a Liege-Kavalos with this, with a Mortisan general with the Dire Ultimatum command trait nearby drops enemy Bravery by a whopping -4!
#'''Grave-sand Boneplates:''' At the end of the combat phase, roll dice for each enemy unit within 3”, on a 4+ that unit suffers a mortal wound. Vies with Scroll of Command for the second best choice.
#'''Marrow Pact:''' Once per battle, in hero phase pick one enemy unit within 6” of bearer. On a 3+, unit suffers D3 mortal wounds, heal the same number of wounds.
#'''Helm of the Ordained:''' Add one to hit rolls for attacks made by {{AOSKeyword|BONEREAPERS}} units and mounts while wholly within 12” of the bearer. One of the best choices for a Liege-Kavalos if including Bonereaper Legion weapons, otherwise it's the best unless you have a very specific playstyle in mind.

*'''Tools of the Boneshaper (Boneshapers)'''
#<s>Skeleton</s> '''Artisan's key:''' Before using the bearer’s bone shaper ability, roll a dice and on a 4+ either you can pick two units instead of one, or the same unit twice within 6”. The best of the three by a narrow margin.
#'''Lode of Saturation:''' At the start of the Hero phase, choose a unit within 1”, deathless warrior battle trait on 5+ instead of 6.
#'''Crafter Gems:''' Hero phase, heal up to 3 wounds. Once the total wounds healed in the battle is 3 you cannot use it any longer.

*'''Treasures of the Soulmason (Soulmasons)'''
#'''Gothizzar Cartouche:''' +1 to melee wound rolls for units wholly within 9” of bearer if target does not have Death keyword. The best option if you're not facing {{AOSKeyword|DEATH}} armies.
#'''Soul Reservior:''' +2 to cast, but if casting roll is unmodified 10+ artifact cannot be used again.
#'''Thorne of Dzendt:''' +2 to wounds and +2 attacks for mount. A good all around choice, especially for keeping your chair bound wizard safe.

*'''Weapons of the Soulreaper (Soulreapers)'''
#'''Luminscythe:''' minus 1 for hit rolls targeting bearer. +1 casting rolls for bearer for Lore of Mortisans or warscroll spell.
#'''Vial of Binding:''' Once per battle in hero phase, pick enemy model within 12" of bearer and roll a D6. If roll is equal or greater than the wound characteristic they are slain. The best choice if you take a Soul Reaper, and the obvious choice for offensive.
#'''Guardian Reavesoul:''' Negate wound on a 5+ instead of 6+ for deathless minions. Can shatter to negate last wound if about to die. If you're not taking Vial of Binding, this is the go-to choice.

===Spell Lore===
#'''Arcane Command:''' CV5. Gain D3 Relentless Discipline Points. Nice if you've got an extra spell, or had some bad luck with your rolls.
# '''Empower Nadirite Weapons: ''' CV5. Pick 1 {{AOSKeyword|BONEREAPERS}} unit wholly within 24" and visible. Until the start of your next hero phase, the units Nadirite Weapons ability explodes on a 5+ instead of 6, or 4+ if its a {{AOSKeyword|DEATHRIDERS}} attacking with spears after charging.
# '''Protection of Nagash: ''' CV6. 5+ FNP for the caster. If any wounds get through your FNP, and the caster isn't slain, remove them from the battlefield after all wounds have been allocated, and place them anywhere on the board 9" away from enemy models then dispel this spell. Great for getting important casters out of sticky situations, or absolutely hilarious on Nagash if you wanna fuck with your opponent.
# '''Reinforce Battle-shields: ''' CV6. Pick 1 {{AOSKeyword|BONEREAPERS}} unit armed with Shields or Nadirite Battle-shields wholly within 24" and visible. Until the start of your next hero phase, they gain a 5+ FNP but only for mortal wounds. Pair this with a gothizzar harvester, the reroll saves command ability for some truly unkillable troops.
# '''Drain Vitality: ''' CV6. Pick 1 enemy unit within 18" and visible. Until your next hero phase, reroll unmodified hit and save rolls of 6 made by that unit. Good for blunting a spooky unit's charge, but less useful than the other options available.
# '''Mortal Contract: ''' CV7. Pick 1 enemy unit within 18" and visible. For the rest of the '''BATTLE''', roll a die at the end of any phase that the unit dealt damage to a friendly {{AOSKeyword|BONEREAPERS}} unit (but only if it was with an attack). On 3+, the cursed unit suffers D3 mortal wounds. Lawdy, this is probably the most obnoxious spell we can sling, if you can remember who you marked the entire game. Great into low unit-count armies.

===Endless Spells===

An important distinction to note between these Endless Spells and others that exist is that the ones presented below have the '''Soul-Linked''' ability, meaning they always move before Endless Spells without the Soul-Linked ability and are controlled by the casting Player only, meaning your opponent cannot control these Endless Spells to mess with your plans. However on the flip side, the Wizard who cast the spell has a -1 to his casting rolls and cannot cast anymore soul-linked spells while their soul-linked endless spell is up. If the caster dies then the soul-linked spell is also dispelled, so keep him alive if you want the spells to last.

*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls//aos-warscroll-Bone-tithe-Shrieker-en.pdf Bone-tithe Shrieker]''': Gives -1 bravery, and +1 to be hit to enemy units within 12" of it. Simple, but effective. Place it just in front of your battle line to make the enemy think twice, or use it to make holding an objective less than desirable.
*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls//aos-warscroll-Soulstealer-Carrion-en.pdf Soulstealer Carrion]''': Gives LOS to the Soul-Linked wizard. You won't be taking it for this. Instead, you'll be taking it for it's actual ability: Soul Thief. Roll a D6 at the end of each Phase if any Chaos, Order, or Destruction models were slain within 6" of it. On a 1 or 2, the Wizard this Endless Spell is Soul-Linked with heals a wound. On a 3 or 4, it does 1 Mortal Wound on each Chaos, Destruction or Order unit within 6" of it, and on a 5-6, it does both effects. AMAZINGLY fun, if you're not playing into Death, so do with that as you will.

*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls//aos-warscroll-Nightmare-Predator-en.pdf The Nightmare Predator]''': Your standard causes Mortal Wounds Endless Spell (dealing D3 Mortal Wounds to all non-bonecasts within 3" of it), but with a twist - when cast, pick an enemy Hero to be marked as it's prey. If this spell gets within range of them, it spits out d6 mortal wounds instead. For it's dirt cheap point cost, this is almost auto-include.

==Famous Legions==
<big>Mortis Praetorians</big>
*'''Battle Traits''': '''The Dread Legion''':-1 bravery to enemy units within 12".
*'''Command Trait''': '''Katakros' Chosen''': Once per battle if the general is on the Battlefield, gain D3 RDP points.
*'''Command Ability''': '''Counter-strike''': Pick a friendly unit within 6" of a HEKATOS or 12" of a HERO. If charged, they can re-roll hits.
*'''Artefact of Power''': '''Artificer's Blade''': Pick one of the bearer's melee weapons. It has -3 Rend.
The poster boys, the jack-of-all-trades and the best choice if you’re bringing Katakros, otherwise it's quite situational since other death armies capitalize on "fear-bombing" more effectively (looking at you, Legions of Grief and Blood).

<big>Petrifex Elite</big>
*'''Battle Traits''': '''Unstoppable Juggernauts''': As of the FAQ, they re-roll save rolls of 1 in melee.
*'''Command Trait''': '''Mighty Archaeossian''': +2 Wounds.
*'''Command Ability''': '''Bludgeon''': In the combat phase, give a unit +1 rend on one weapon, can't stack.
*'''Artefact of Power''': '''Godbone Armor''': The first wound allocated to the bearer in each '''phase''' is negated.
Makes your entire army (including Nagash) overall more tanky, gives your commander a few extra wounds for a chuckle, lets you put some durability on a caster via the relic (especially useful if you're bringing some Endless Spells), AND comes with a command ability that makes you killy, just to throw your opponent for a loop. Pre-nerf it added +1 to everyone's armor save and was THE choice of Bonereaper Legion. Now it's decent but no longer the one best choice.

<big>Null Myriad</big>
*'''Battle Traits''': '''Eldritch Nulls''': Ignore the effects of spells on a 5+.
*'''Command Trait''': '''Unsettling and Sinister''': -1 to Bravery in 3", and -1 to be hit during combat phase.
*'''Command Ability''': '''Holdfast''': Make the battle trait work on a 2+ instead of 5+.
*'''Artefact of Power''': '''Baleful Blade''': Pick 1 of the bearer's weapons. [[Awesome|Saves can't be made against attacks from this weapon and wounds can't be negated]] (though they can later be healed).
The magic choice. Their innate rules mean you can focus more on offensive magic, and the Artefact is perfect for any combat character... but is obviously best on a Liege-Kavalos. One of the best choices, but if your meta is very magic heavy this is clearly the best. Make those six hallowheart battlemages cry because they can do nothing to you (and then notice that you can't probably do much to them either, so the battle is probably a void of winds of magic).

<big>Ivory Host</big>
*'''Battle Traits''': At the start of each combat phase, any IVORY HOST unit within 6" of an IVORY HOST model that is wounded is subject to rage for that phase. While subject to rage, get +1 to hit, but -1 save. Dependent on having damaged multi-wound models nearby and can potentially really mess your own forces up, but can lead to you hitting very hard. Fortunately, as it's only for the combat phase, you don't have to worry about it when you're being shot at.
*'''Command Trait''': Every hero phase your general gains 1 attack for all his melee weapons on a 5+. Best to have a Liege-Kavalos as your general for this.
*'''Command Ability''': Cancel the -1 save from the battle trait. This is what makes the Ivory host interesting, letting you pull some shenanigans with a screen unit or pulling some clutch damage out at a vital time.
*'''Artefact of Power''': '''Beastbound Blade''': One of the bearer's melee weapons gets +1 attack.
The combat choice, though dependent on good dice rolls, positioning and carefully picking your fights. Decent, but there are better options.

<big>Stalliarch Lords</big>
*'''Battle Traits''': Run and charge. Pretty good for increasing your threat range on a slow army.
*'''Command Trait''': Pick an enemy hero within 3" at the start of the combat phase. Gain +1 to hit against it but -1 to anything else. Pretty situational and lackluster.
*'''Command Ability''': Retreat and charge in the same turn. Good for repositioning or getting your charge bonuses again. Here's looking at you, Deathriders.
*'''Artefact of Power''': '''Nadir-Bound Mount''': Can only be taken by a Liege-Kavalos. They roll D3 additional dice for their Unstoppable Charge ability.
The speedy and somewhat trollish choice. Do you wanna go fast? Do you want a liege or Zandtos to run fast next to fast cavalry? Or if you take a Liege make them hit like a ton of bricks? Then go these guys. They let you skimp out of the costly battalion with their inherent command ability, and make your already fast cavalry even faster. They even pair well with Stalkers, Morghast Harbingers or Harvesters, to just really irritate your opponent.

<big>Crematorians</big>
*'''Battle Traits''': '''Immolation''': When a model dies you get a chance to cause MW to an enemy within 3" on a 5+, with monsters and characters adding 1 to their roll/going off on a 4+.
*'''Command Trait''': '''Wrathful Avenger''': If the general dies, add 2 to the dice roll for Immolation and it does D3 Mortal Wounds rather than 1.
*'''Command Ability''': '''Levelers of Cities''': One friendly CREMATORIANS unit with 6" of a Hekatros or 12" of a hero ignores cover saves.
*'''Artefact of Power''': '''Searing Blade''': Pick one of the bearer's melee weapons and add 1 to the Damage characteristic.
The TRUE trolling choice. Paired with some revives and harvesters, and laugh as your opponent realizes that killing your models meant their guys died and then revived the dudes they just tried to kill, rinse and repeat.

For awhile the best Legion was Petrifex Elite, by far. But due to Petrifex spam and the resulting complaints GW jumped them with something even they couldn't take - the nerf-bat. Oh, the old gray Petrifex, it ain't what it used to be. Now, Mortis Praetorians and Null Myriad are worth a look. The others are quite situational, though maybe Crematorians are worth considering, especially if you spam Mortek Guard.

==Warscrolls==
The common keywords of these warscrolls are: '''DEATH''', '''OSSIARCH BONEREAPERS'''

===Leaders===
====Named Leaders====
*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls//aos-warscroll-Katakros-Mortarch-of-the-Necropolis-en.pdf Orpheon Katakros, Mortarch of the Necropolis]''': (500pts) Like Skarbrand, his attacks get stronger the more wounds he takes. Katakros himself has [[Awesome|Rend and Damage 3]] and he can bop foes with his shield to dole out Mortal Wounds, so he can dish out some hurt in combat, but not until he's taken some wounds representing his companions dying so Katakros himself joins the fray. However, he is one of the slowest characters in the game - 4" move (which doesn’t much matter when he’s on a '''12 centimetre''' base, and you can use the Relentless Advance to make Katakros move 7") and can't fly, but Mortarch of Necropolis allows Katakros to heal up to three friendly OBR units wholly within 24" of his model for 3 wounds worth on your hero phase. Katakros is a friendly OBR unit within 24" of himself, so he can choose to heal himself for 3 wounds every one of your hero phases. Because he is so slow, he hates cannons even more than his boss so engage shooty armies at your own risk. He's pricey in points and cash, but you get what you pay for - no more no less - as he's a good beatstick and support character, just don't try to send him up against other super combat lords who have a damage of 3 or better because he can easily get his shit kicked in, especially if they're wearing the Ethereal Amulet or have some serious wound negation. If your opponent is fielding a character with either (or worse, both) then make sure to screen him out. It's better to not get him in combat and keep your Relentless Discipline points, heals and Command Point sabotage than it is for you to possibly lose all of those.
*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls//aos-warscroll-Nagash-Supreme-Lord-of-the-Undead-en.pdf Nagash, Supreme Lord of the Undead]''': (880pts) Changed from his early forms, Nagash is now 30 points more expensive, and no longer loots the spells from all of his Death-based allies. (but he does know the whole spell lore by default.) Instead, he can now restore wounds/models to 5 of his Bonecast Eternals, and can sling Mystic Shield and Arcane Bolt as much as his undead heart (and casting limit) desire.
**As Nagash and Arkhan gain the OSSIARCH BONEREAPERS keyword, they can heal themselves, making them quite a bit more resilient in an OBR army than when accompanying their own legions. Go figure.
*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls//aos-warscroll-Arkhan-the-Black-Mortarch-of-Sacrament-en.pdf Arkhan the Black, Mortarch of Sacrament]''': (360pts) Much like Nagash, Arkhan is more expensive now, at a "whopping" 20 points more than before. With an extra cast and deny, and the ability to sling Arcane Bolt and Mystic Shield like his Boss, (along with learning the whole spell lore,) it sounds like that price increase came with some buffs. However, overall Arkhan's in a slightly more disappointing place. Curse of Years no longer succeeds on 1s, meaning it's slightly more fair, and his command ability has now been limited to one use a turn, spoiling an awful lot of fun that could have been had.

*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls//aos-warscroll-Arch-Kavalos-Zandtos-en.pdf Arch-Kavalos Patru Zandtos]''': (220pts) A named Mortis Praetorians Liego-Kavalos, with additional abilities like more damage on the charge, rerolls to wound, and another CA that grants a Praetorians unit the same reroll ability. A good choice for leader - practically an auto-take if you want a Liege-Kavalos in Mortis Praetorians, unless you have a specific Legion or combo in mind.

*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls//aos-warscroll-Volkmortian-Master-of-the-Bone-tithe-en.pdf Vokmortion, Master of the Bone-tithe]''': (180pts) He is a Wizard that should be very close to the front lines. He has a chance to prevent a model within 3" from attacking him on a 5+ as a defense. He also has a 12" aura of -1 to bravery and -1 to any Wizard attempting to unbind any spell he casts (which improves in that rare instance an enemy General dies near him). His Unique spell can instantly kill any model within 1" of him on a 5+, and the range on it cannot be modified, which can be used to punish any foolish combat heroes or big monsters he ends up fighting - though it is a bit unreliable to make him a dedicated assassin. Overall, he should be standing behind your troops (ideally Immortis Guard or Mortek Guard), providing the debuff and using his 2 spells per turn.

====Generic Leaders====
*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls//aos-warscroll-Liege-Kavalso-en.pdf Liege-Kavalos]''': (200pts) Your commander on a big-boned mount that gives two guaranteed Relentless Discipline points. Lots of decent attacks, but nothing too nutty. When he charges he has an increased pile in and the ability to fling out some extra mortal wounds. His Command Ability gives a unit wholly within 12" +1 attack. He probably functions best running with some deathriders for a spoopy cavalry wing, though having him roam around your anvils can make for some good time damage output.

*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls//aos-warscroll-Mortisan-Soulreaper-en.pdf Mortisan Soulreaper]''': (120pts) Our CC battlemage, though with his weapon the most he'll be reaping is chaff mobs. His unique spell lets him smack one unit at range, or every unit in CC with him with a few mortal wounds. Probably our worst unit, as outside of his spell-slinging, he's basically a really expensive cairn wraith from nighthaunt. Look elsewhere, unless you really love his amazing model.

*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls//aos-warscroll-Mortisan-Boneshaper-en.pdf Mortisan Boneshaper]''': (130pts) Probably your most included HQ, and part of the <s>glue that holds your army together</s> calcium that strengthens your bone boys. With the ability to restore 3 wounds (or 3 wounds worth of boys (raise 3 Mortek Guard, or 1 Kavalos Deathriders everything else has 4+ wounds)) to a friendly squad and sling a few spells, he feels close to auto-include, especially if you left Nagash or Arkhan at home. His unique spell lets him fling [[Awesome|BONESTORM!]] at an enemy unit, roll for each model within 18" and every 6 deals a mortal wound, a nice anti-horde spell being easy to cast on 5. Keep him out of combat and out of LoS so he can spend your whole game building bonecasts in a dark corner away from anyone else.
** Boneshapers and Immortis Guard are a good match, as they can take wounds for him and he can heal them if they take too many hits.

*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls//aos-warscroll-Mortisan-Soulmason-en.pdf Mortisan Soulmason]''': (140pts) The grand vizier will see you now. He's got a passable melee profile, but that's not why you take him. He's a wizard with 2 casts and unbinds and a unique spell, Soul-Guide, that gives a friendly Ossiarch Bonereapers unit the ability to reroll 1's to hit. Pretty good so far, but it gets better. At the end of your hero phase, on a 2+ cast Soul-Guide more times even if it was already attempted that turn. Basically, bring him when you're spamming catapults (or anything, really) and spread the re-rolling to hit love.
** For extra fun, his potential multiple casts force the enemy to consider whether to unbind these spells or other spells.

===Battleline===
*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls//aos-warscroll-Mortek-Guard-en.pdf Mortek Guard]''': (Battleline, 130/440pts, Min:10, Max:40) Your basic skellies are a decently-protected lot with a 4+ save. Their basic weapons are 2 attacks with -1 Rend sword or a spear, both can double the hits inflicted on a 6+ to hit. The greatblade, on the other hand, trades that for a slightly better wound score, which isn't remarkable but at least keeps the sword's Rend. Their slow speed is helped by their banner giving them +1 to runs and charges, and the +3" move order mentioned above. A good choice for loadout is sword for smaller units and spears for bigger units.
**'''Mortek Hekatos''': This boy is a mini-HQ that gives to your Relentless Discipline pool and keys to a lot of other things. (in big units you have to pack a lot of models very close together to have Deathless Warriors). He's only got an attack more than the base guard, but he also confers a command ability that lets his pack re-roll all saves for the combat phase - much more valuable for their survival.
** With the Petrifex Elite, you can take the spears and use the Petrifex command ability to give them rend, just save the spears for larger units of Mortek Guard.

*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls//aos-warscroll-Kavalos-Deathriders-en.pdf Kavalos Deathriders]''': (Battleline, 180/460pts, Min:5, Max:15) Your basic skellies, but on a horse! When compared to their foot-slogging brothers, these guys have +1 attack and 3 wounds each, the 2 extra pony swings we all know and love (actually, even their horses are on steroids, wounding on a 3+), and a whopping 12" move compared to the former's 4". Not only that, but their spears have exploding hits on a 5+ roll on the charge, giving you a bit more reason to consider selling the rend on your swords.
**'''Mortek Hekatos''': Much like the Mortek Guard, the Deathrider's hekatos has +1 attack with their weapon, but his command ability gives you some mortal wound output on the charge and a double-range pile in. FAQ'd to confirm a unit can only benefit from this once per phase.

===Hekatos===
*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls//aos-warscroll-Necropolis-Stalkers-en.pdf Necropolis Stalkers]''': (180pts, Min:3, Max:6) Speedy, Re-rolling, <s>tyranid warriors </s> skeleton boys. Each turn, these massive lads pick whether they want to re-roll hits, wounds, saves, or add +1 to their weapons' Rend and Damage. While rerolling saves is nice when you get charged by something scary, you'll almost always use +1 rend and damage, as it turns your basic stalker into a stormcast blender, and your unit leader <s>into a literal monster</s> into an equally strong blender as the normal weapons, when enhanced with -1 rend and +1 dmg, are actually stronger than the special weapon, proven by Mathhammer. Their command ability that lets them re-roll run and charge rolls while also ignoring terrain as if they could fly.
** Another option is to run them with a Soulmason equipped with the Gothizzar Cartouche in support which gives +1 to wound rolls. Now, assuming you also have Katakros on the board and you can get Soul-Guide onto your Stalkers then the best Aspect to run is the Destroyer Aspect because this combo would then mean your hitting on 2's and re-rolling 1's '''AND''' wounding on 2's (with spirit blades)
** Upon testing with Mathhammer, in this precise scenario, precision still pulls far ahead if you take 3 of the normal weapons and give them all of these buffs. There is around an average damage difference of 5 per round.
*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls//aos-warscroll-Immortis-Guard-en.pdf Immortis Guard]''': (180pts, Min:3, Max:12)The Anvil to the stalker's hammer. These guys have a lower damage output, with 2 3+/3+/-2/2 damage (though the base rend 2 is nice), and the ability to bop someone with their shields for a bit of extra damage, with the occasional mortal wound when rolling a 6. Their main draw, however, is their base 3+ save and bodyguard ability. Whenever they're within 3" of a friendly hero, on a 2+ they must eat a wound or mortal wound that would have been applied to said hero. Their command ability lets them immediately pile in and swing again after their first go, but only with their shields. Less than impressive, but nice for positioning. Having two weapons means they get more out of the Liege's extra attack command ability, and with their own on top of that the mortal wounds do become bit more reliable.
*'''Morghasts [https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls//aos-warscroll-Morghast-Archai-en.pdf Archai] & [https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls//aos-warscroll-Morghast-Harbingers-en.pdf Harbingers]''': (190pts, Min:2, Max:6) Nagash's angels of death come in 2 flavors, with the archai having a chance to shrug off mortal wounds, and harbingers getting a 3d6 charge. Beyond those differences either one is monstrous combatants, and tough to boot, with 6 wounds 4+ armor and being Hekatos for the death save. They also have a bravery debuff as a bonus. You should always take the halberd for 3 attacks at 3+/3+/-2/3, as they will only do less damage against units with a 6+ save, shown by Mathhammer. You don't want your Morghasts engaging Chaff, as they aren't meant to be wiping chaff for you. Additionally, adding attacks to the Halberd from your Liege is much stronger than doing so to your swords.
** See the above option for Stalkers and apply to Morghasts - you'll lose out on the re-rolling wounds but up the rend to -2 and the damage to 3 (with halberds) so the Mathammer will result in more wounds on average (even if you run swords) - only real issue with this is keep up with the Morghasts on your bone throne.
** Following the Petrifex nerf, these guys just got a bit more viable. They mesh well with quite a few Legions (the Archai save against spells compliments Null Myriad spell nullifying, the Harbingers compliment the Stalliarch rules - and they're probably our best unit against the Kharadron Overlords and more).

===Behemoths===
*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls//aos-warscroll-Gothizzar-Harvester-en.pdf Gothizzar Harvester]''': (200pts, Behemoth) Big guy has 10 wounds and a 4+ save. Has good damage potential with 4 solid ranged attacks and a BUNCH of 2 damage melee swings, with a choice between bludgeons or sickles. These weapons have the exact same melee stats, but different effects. Bludgeons do 2 mortal wounds on unmodified hits of 6 instead of normal damage, (basically giving the guy a Nighthaunt's frightful touch) while the sickles get +1 to hit against units with 5+ models. The Bludgeons are the better choice, as there are other ways to boost hit rolls and Mortal Wounds are useful whoever you're up against. More importantly than that, this guy is a <s>another source of precious calcium</s> healer. Each time any models (friend or foe) die within 3" of him, he can heal an Ossiarch Bonereaper unit within 6" on a 4+. The heals he gives depends on the wounds characteristic of the model slain. It's worth noting he can do this to himself, making his relatively fragile 10 wounds and 4+ save last a little longer.
**For the Crematorians, this guy makes the list even more trollish. Camp him by your Mortek Guard, and when they die and cause mortal wounds, he can heal them right back up. Free mortal wounds, anyone?
*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls//aos-warscroll-Mortek-Crawler-en.pdf Mortek Crawler]''': (200pts, Artillery, Behemoth) The most trolltastic catapult in all of AoS. With a nice 36" range and solid durability, it starts as a remarkably strong springboard for the absolute terror of its ammo types. Once per battle, you can fire a different choice of ammo from two different options and their effects are trolltastically memeable.
**Necrotic Skulls: Your normal shots. You're getting a pretty hefty 3 2+/3+/-/variable shots that start at 5 damage, and dips down to 1 as the model takes damage. Good as a general all-rounder, but pales in comparison to what follows.
***Just to reiterate however: 3 shots at 5 damage initially. Although lack of rend hurts, this is a horde killing volley beyond compare, particularly as their hit and wound rolls are so good.
**Cauldron of Torment: the first of the meme shots. Instead of firing like normal, you roll a dice for every model in the target unit, and whenever you meet or beat their '''UNMODIFIED''' Bravery, one model is slain. "But Anon," you reply, "lots of units have high Bravery! That's not good," To which I say, sure, you're right. this isn't good against undead, Stormcast, or Chaos, but do you know what it IS good against? grots, where you wipe half of whatever squad you fire at. Or freeguild, where you gun down a third of whatever unit you want in a ghostly fog. And we're STILL not done with this bad boy.
**Cursed Stele: Does your local meta not really do hordes? Or do they just love low model-count armies with high leadership? Well, have I got a unit for you! Instead of shooting normally, pick a model within range (so, characters, banners, unit leaders, etc.) and roll 2d6. If you roll equal to or higher than their wound stat, the guy dies (with some modifiers, starting at -3 to your roll, slowly turning to +3 as you lose wounds). This right here is disgusting. With an average roll of 4, you kill support heroes about 60% of the time or get to guaranteed snipe off important banners or unit champions whenever you're feeling cheeky. Did that daemon prince swoop in and drop you to 1 wound? Wouldn't it be great if his failure meant your average roll is now a 10 and insta-gibs the winged sexy, sexy biscuit daemon? (Lovely to consider, but the 6" minimum range on the Crawler's attacks means if it's in melee it's been neutered - protect at all costs!)

===Scenery===
*'''Bone-tithe Nexus''': (0pts) Your mandatory accompanying setpiece is a giant monolith surrounded by bones upon bones. In truth it acts more like a sentry that can chuck out one of four different Punishments each turn: -1 to hit, MW Sniping, causes problem for a wizard, or Can't run and only roll 1d6 for charges. The physical footprint of this thing is BIG. You're supposed to place the terrain before defining and placing any of the game's (neutral) terrain. Placing the damn thing can therefore be problematic in organized events, where terrain is pre-set before the game starts.

==Battalions==
<big>'''Ossiarch Cohort'''</big> 100 pts (min points: '''4450''')
''Katakros, Zandtos or Liege Kavalos, 1-3 Mortek Shield-Corps, 1-3 Kavalos Lances, 1 Mortisian Trident, 1-2 Katakrosian Deathglaives, 1 Aegis Immortal, 1 Mortek Ballistari''
* The Super Battalion.
For putting together all that dough together your general generates 1d3 additional RDPs at the beginning of your hero phase.

<big>'''Aegis Immortal'''</big> 80 pts (min points: '''690''')
''1 Archai, 2 Immortis.''
The ARCHAI from this battalion has the SOULBOUND PROTECTORS ability from the Immortis Guard warscroll. In addition, if you use the SOULBOUND PROTECTORS and the roll is a 5+, the wound/MW is negated instead of allocated to a unit from this battalion. Take with Petrifex Elite to make your characters near unkillable. Solid choice, pun intended, the only drawback is if you want a more offensive playstyle since this is defensive-based.

<big>'''Katakrosian Deathglaive'''</big> 80 pts (min points: '''690''')
''2 Stalkers, 1 Morghast Harbinger''
After units are set up but before the first battleround, if all units from the btn are WHOLLY WITHIN 12" of the Harbingers, you can move any of them up to 6" The best name for a Battalion in all of AoS. Useful for strategic positioning and claiming objectives, it's a decent choice. One foe it does help against is Kharadron Overlords, positioning your Morghasts and Stalkers to better catch their fliers.

<big>'''Kavalos Lance'''</big> 120 pts (min points: '''680''')
''Arch-Kavalos OR 1 Liege-Kavalos, 2 Kavalos Deathriders.''
Units from this battalion can retreat and charge if wholly within 12" of the Liege when the charge roll is made. In addition, once per turn, you can use the Deathrider Wedge CA for a unit from this battalion without spending RDP. Pretty good, especially if you bring a spellcaster with Empower Nadirite Weapons, more so if you're running Petrifex to give the weapons extra rend. Just remember it's a waste of points if you're using the Stalliarch Lords legion because they do this but better and for free.

<big>'''Mortek Ballistari'''</big> 100 pts (min points: '''760''')
''1 Boneshaper, 1 Mortek Guard, 2 Crawlers.''
Roll a die before you allocate a wound/MW to a Crawler from this btn while it is within 3" of the Mortek Guard unit from the same btn. Add 2 if the Crawler is within 3" of the Boneshaper from the same btn. On a 4+, it is instead allocated to the GUARD instead of the CRAWLER.

<big>'''Mortek Shield-corps'''</big> 120 pts (min points: '''630''')
''Either Volkmortian, a Boneshaper, a Soulreaper OR a Soulmason, and 3 Mortek Guard.''
Once per turn, you can use Shieldwall for one unit in the battalion without spending RDP. The cheapest option, and a decent choice, making your Mortek Guard that much more durable and freeing RDP to be spent elsewhere. Petrifex Mortek Guard will be even tougher with a free re-roll, and it's a good safety net if a unit loses their Hekatos.

<big>'''Mortisan Trident'''</big> 110 pts (min points: '''700''')
''1 Boneshaper, 1 Soulreaper, 1 Soulmason, 1 Harvester.''
EACH Mortisan from this battalion can attempt to cast 1 extra spell if WITHIN 18" of the harvester AND the harvester is within 3" of any enemy units.

<big> '''Volkmortian’s Retinue''' </big> 120 pts (min points: '''840''')
''Volkmortian, 1 Mortek Guard, 1 Stalker, and 1 Archai.''
The exclusive battalion from Feast of Bones. At the start of your hero phase, you can return 1 slain model to a unit within 8 inches of Morty.
This battalion, and it's older dreadier brother, is the armies only reliable method of bringing back dead Stalkers and Archai.

<big> '''Volkmortian’s Dread Retinue''' </big> 130 pts (min points: '''850''')
''Volkmortian, 1-3 Mortek Guard, 1 Stalker, and 1-2 Archai or Harbingers, in any configuration.''
One of the battalions from May 2020's issue of White Dwarf. This battalion must be taken with the Mortis Praetorians legion. Comes with the same ability as Vokmortain's Retinue, but also gives you a start of game ability to hurt the chances of a single enemy hero hitting Vokmortian. Because you can take Harbingers instead of Archai with this battalion, which opens up returning Morghast Harbingers to play, this battalion is much better than the regular Retinue. The restriction on legion means that, of course, this cannot really be considered competitive at this time.

<big> '''Harvester Scythe Corps''' </big> 100 pts (min points: '''660''')
''2 Kavalos Deathriders and 1 Gothizzar Harvester.''
One of the battalions from May 2020's issue of White Dwarf. This battalion must be taken with the Mortis Praetorians legion. Battalion lets you add one to wound rolls for the Harvester if within 12 of the dead ponies. Decent if you need to generate the RDP and the artefact, but if you are taking a pair of Deathriders, you might as well be taking a Liege and going for the Kavalos Lance battalion, which also doesn't restrict you out of the better legions.

<big> '''Vokmortian's Tithe Legion''' </big> 110 pts (min points: '''5640''')
''This list of other battalions: 1 Vokmortian's Dread Retinue, 1-3 Mortek Shield Corps, 1 Mortisan Trident, 1-2 Katakrosian Deathglaives, 1 Aegis Immortal, 1-3 Kavalos Lances or Harvester Scythe Corps in any configuration, 1 Mortek Ballistari, 1 Harvester Scythe Corps.''
One of the battalions from May 2020's issue of White Dwarf. This battalion must be taken with the Mortis Praetorians legion.
The boring part of this battalion is that you probably won't ever get to field it, and even if you do, the abilities from it aren't the best. You get to generate an additional D3 RDP per hero phase, and you get to take '''any number of''' Nighthaunt allies, without them counting against ally rules. Super battalions are fun, but this one means that outside of the nearly 6k points you have to spend on it, you also need Nighthaunt to make use of it. It's a good goal for a collection, though.

==Army Building==
=== Getting Started ===
When getting started with the Ossiarch Bonereapers, it's important that you understand the direction you want to take your list in. If you are going for competitive, you're going to be making the most out of Mortek Guard, while if you are going for fun and cool, you have a lot of fun and cool options.

If new to the game, look out for a Feast of Bones set half, as it can be a great start to your Ossiarch Army. Another way to start would be with a box of Mortek Guard and a Liege Kavalos, as this gives you a little bit less than a Start Collecting worth of points, but a lot of cool units to start working on.

=== Currently Competitive ===

The best lists right now center around the fact that Mortek Guard units are incredibly over-statted for their points cost.

==== Heroes ====

A Petrifex-aligned Liege-Kavalos is a mainstay in the General position, as the Mighty Croissant command trait and Godbone Armor artefact make it a 9 wound, ignoring first wounds of every phase monster, along with the extra RDP generation for being a liege, and Mystic Shield making the Liege basically indestructible, as Nagash would have wanted. The other best hero seems to be the Soulmason, as it has great casting for the points, and really fills out the support role of your army.

You can also build Nagash or Arkhan centric lists, and those typically look like Nagash/Arkhan + 40 blobs of guard and a support unit or two.

==== Battleline ====

Mortek Guard, usually a pair of 2 40 blobs are great. Then, fill out the battleline with some of those dead ponies. Seriously, Mortek Guard are only 130 points right now, can be given exploding 5+s and additional rend.

==== Other Models ====

Gothizzar harvesters can be run as a one of per blob of Guard you manage to field. This means that your Mortek Guard is going to have a 4+/6+/4+ save, which is equal to about a 13.88% (or a "1.25+" save equivalent) chance to wound. Per model. That's like having a 0.83+ save.

Mortek Crawlers can be utilized to constantly rampage as your large blobs of guard gum up the board, create incredibly tough tar pits, and slow down enemy units. Another benefit is that if a cheap unit is used by your opponent to attempt to capture an objective, you might be able to wipe it out before it gains any points if you notice it soon enough and identify that part of your opponent's game plan.

==== Spells ====

There are several good spells that you can take, although overall the spell lore is kind of boring. Empower Nadirite Weapons is the best spell in the lore, mainly because most lists are running blobs of 40 Mortek Guard and the spell makes them table. Arcane Command can be taken on a second support wizard, as can Mortal Contract, depending on who you think you might be facing. Reinforce shield walls can also be a decent spell, especially if you are combining several layers of saves to make Mortek Guard the ultimate pit of bone.

==== Using Battalions ====

Because of the ability to increase RDP generation, there are some ways you can use cheap battalions to increase the amount of RDP you have, and lower the amount you need for specific units. One of the best and cheapest battalions is the Mortek Shield Corps battalion, which requires one of your 3 Mortisans or Vokmortian and 3 units of 10 Mortek Guard, allowing you to use one of the CAs on the Mortek Guard for free, once per turn. It also presents you with an additional RDP per turn. The shield wall ability allows you to reroll saves, which means that your 3+/6+ save (for Petrifex elite) turns into a 3+/3+/6+ save. Now, add in one of those Harvesters, meaning that you have a 3+/3+/4+/6+ save, or a 4.63% chance to fail incoming non-rend armor saves. That means that for every 20 armor saves, less than one should convert to a wound.

The Kavalos Lance battalion makes use of a pair of the fantastically modelled (by Nagash or GW) Kavalos Deathriders, and a Liege Kavalos. This battalion allows you to make up some of the difficulties of movement that the Ossiarch are presented with, and the additional RDP are always great for the +3" movement.

Another interesting battalion to consider taking is the Mortisan Trident Battalion, which would be how you go about building a strong Magical Ossiarch Bonereapers army. With the current state of Tzeentch, however, this army might be a bit rough to play. This battalion requires you to take all three Mortisans, as well as a Harvester, allowing you additional spell casts, when close to the harvester. That battalion and an Arkhan would allow you some crazy amounts of spells, and if you can take full advantage of that, you might end up thrashing a lot of armies that can't deal with heavy spell usage. Sadly, a lot of your spells work much better when you have a lot of your points in Mortek Guard, who are core to any army you create.

Other battalions can be taken solely for RDP generation and the artefacts you can take, seeing as your first artefact will generally have to be the Petrifex Elite artefact, Godbone Armor. Both Boneshapers and Soulmasons have decent "tools" for their artefacts, but they are not necessary, so don't feel forced to take a battalion for some bad models.

==Tactics==

===Mr. Arkhan’s Wild Ride===
Take Arkhan the Black as your general, along with two Gothizzar Harvesters and a buttload of Mortek Guard. Finally put them all under the Crematorians legion. Your boney boys will proceed to explode in the faces of the enemy and then be brought back to un-life from the ashes thanks to the Mortarch and Harvesters’ restoration abilities. Is this trolling? Yes. Is it fun? ''Oh yes.'' Also take a Mortisan Boneshaper as a cherry on top for extra heals and bring an Endless Spell or two; cast with Arkhan to laugh off that casting penalty.
* Nerfed slightly in December 2019 Errata. Now Gothizzar Harvester ability only triggers "each time a model is slain within 3" of any models with this ability." No double dipping on the Gothizzar heals anymore by choosing to remove a model within 3" of both. Personally, I'd say this is a good thing since this formation would be pretty much unbeatable without enough ranged firepower/artillery to snipe the 10 wound Gothizzars out of the Mortek blob (and in a single shooting phase to prevent 6 wound auto-heal from Arkhan and the Boneshaper).

===Trolling with Catapults===
Take a Soulmason as your general and put him in a massive blob of 60 Mortek Guard with 4 Mortek Crawlers behind. With some amazing dice rolls (which can be helped by using the Soul Resevoir artefact) the Soulmason can give all 4 Crawlers rerollable hits of 1. The Guard can block any incoming attackers whilst the catapults bombard your enemies from across the table. Even if your skellie dudes are taken out and the enemy damages your Centipedes of Doom it just means that their characters are more likely to be decimated by the most trolling shot in AoS, the Cursed Stele. So just sit back, relax and watch your enemies die before they even reach you.

Alternatively, take 2 of Ballistari battalions. Lose the Soulmason but gain some mad defenses.

=== Feast of Bones upgrades ===

If you started with the Feast of Bones kit, there are several ways to build the army. The first is the (maybe subjectively) best, which is to go with the Rule of Cool - buy the cool models. Run 3x10 Mortek Guard to get Battleline out of the way, and then take advantage of how cool Morghasts are to scare your opponents.

Starting with Vokmortian, 10x Mortek Guard, 3x Necopolis Stalkers, and 2x Morghasts, and the Vokmortian's Retinue battalion, you can instead use the Dread Retinue Battalion, to use Morghast Harbingers instead of Archai. Or, get a second unit of Stalkers and create the objectively coolest battalion, the Katakrosian Deathglaive. Add in some more guard or Kavalos Deathriders, and whatever else you want that you like. That's it. It's the rule of cool. With Morghasts - the coolest rule of cool unit.

The other way is to move to a more competitive list, but sadly, the Feast of Bones units aren't great. Vokmortian is pretty bad, as are Morghasts, relative to what is offered in the army, although they can be used as a tool. You can run Vokmortian as a Boneshaper, especially if you figure out a cool conversion for it. Then, add in a Soulmason and another support HQ or Liege, and a lot of Mortek Guard. Add in a few Gothizzar Harvesters and/or Crawlers, and you have the fundamentals to a competitive list.

==Allied Armies==
No Allies. Nope, none. Nighthaunt hate your guts. Legions of Nagash hate your attitude. Not even the Flesh Eater Courts is crazy enough to be your friend. Don't like it? Go play Stormcast, and go fuck yourself while you're at it.

There is...one however...

*'''Big Drogg Fort-Kicka''': A Gatebreaker Mega-Gargant available to all Death factions as an ally. Functions like Gotrek in the Order factions where he uses up your whole allies allowance in exchange for a very destructive monster of a unit. His most important feature is the ability to destroy terrain, including faction terrain. He also has a unique breath attack that attacks one unit within 3" at the end of the combat phase; roll a dice for each model in the unit and deal 1MW on a 6+.

{{Age_of_Sigmar_Tactics}}

Age of Sigmar/Tactics/Death/Ossiarch Bonereapers

2020-10-26T13:44:54Z

2406:3400:20F:FFC0:1C9F:B1D1:F985:39CC: /* Cons */

{{Age of Sigmar Faction|Faction=Ossiarch Bonereapers|Logo=Immortis-WC2.jpg|Alliance=Death|Motto=The Skeleton War is upon us! We ride against the fuckboys!}}

Get ready to send a chill down your opponent's spine, for this is no time to be humerus. Nagash is rising, and he has a bone to pick with the Mortal Realms!

==Why play Ossiarch Bonereapers?==
* They're SPOOKY SCARY SKELETONS!
* You liked playing super-elite units like Blood Knights? Well you now play a different elite FACTION!
* You miss the Tomb Kings and this is as close as it gets for now with a vulture being called a Carrion, undead constructs and a war machine that hurls flaming skulls.
* They collect protection payments of bone like a skeletal version of the Mafia.
* Part of the reason for their existence is to troll Sigmarines.
* If you want a sneak peek at what society would be like if Nagash wins, they're a good indicator of that.
* You're sick of those magic-heavy armies like Tzeentch's forces, the Lizardmen and the Lumineth, and want to put them in their place with the Null Myriad Bonereaper Legion.

===Pros===
* [[Awesome|'''Immunity to Battleshock, baby!''']]. Not just bravery 10, the Bonereapers do not take battleshock tests. They have no guts, but they're braver than everyone else.
* Excellent at debuffing their enemies in various ways, especially their bravery (certain Bonereaper Legions, spells, Morghasts...)
* Conversely, they have numerous ways to buff themselves.
* Very durable, and various ways to boost that to the point of being arguably the most durable army in the game.
* Point-for-point, they have some of the strongest warscrolls of the game as few units can beat their ossiarch counterpart (Mortek Guard and Kavalos Deathriders are strong contenders for best battleline units in the game).
* They use the Relentless Discipline Points mechanic (also called RDP) instead of Command Points. Things that screw with CP won't work on them. Despite this, they still benefit from Command Abilities.
* They're a Death army that isn't reliant on Heroes. Unit champions have the HEKATOS keyword, which gives a smaller radius of 6+ Deathless saves and allows them to use RDP abilities. Certain elite units are also HEKATOS, so they can function completely independently.
* Almost everything is 3+ to hit, with various ways to boost it.
* With the Crematorians Bonereaper Legion, your guys can take enemies down with them when/if they're slain
* Nagash and [[Arkhan the Black|bro-tier mini-Nagash]] are part of the army roster; [[Awesome|they also benefit from keywords and Battle Traits]].
* Numerous characters and a unit that can heal anything in your army, including themselves.
* Our Endless Spells are awesome. Not only that, they're soul linked, so no friendly fire and they're always under the casting player's control.
* If you like bone puns...

===Cons===
* Most of your army is slow (though there are a few abilities to mitigate this).
* Shooting is almost non-existent. Apart from the amazing Mortek Crawler, you only have the Gothizzar Harvester's shooting and Nagash's laser eyes.
* No extra protection at all against shooting beyond certain spells. Shooting armies tend to really hurt the Ossiarchs (especially the Kharadron Overlords).
* The army's quite straightforward and lacking in useful tricks. There's no summoning, deepstrike or special combat mechanics like striking twice. Any decent opponent knows what you will do. There is a teleportation mechanic, but it's very gimmicky, limited and requires a lot of cunning to get something out of it.
* Limited means to deal Mortal Wounds. Ossiarchs tend to bounce on really armored units if stalkers aren't around. This can be mitigated with MW dealers like the Crematorians Legion and anyone with "Kavalos" in their name, but still relies a lot on the dice.
* Magic is average and mostly around buffing allies and debuffing enemies. Sure, Nagash and Arkhan are there, but the magic lore is still unimpressive, especially compared to real magical factions (looking at you, Tzeentch and Seraphon).
* Low model count, slightly mitigated by having the means to bring back (re)dead models.
* No allies apart from the Mega-Gargant Drogg; their foreign policy makes the Daughters of Khaine look like the Stormcast Eternals (can still have mercenaries though - unless you bring Nagash or Arkhan).
* Hope you like bone puns...

==Rulebooks==
{{AOSRulebooks|tome=Ossiarch Bonereapers}}

==Allegiance Abilities==
===Battle Traits===
*'''Ranks Unbroken by Dissent:''' [[Awesome|Do not take battleshock tests for friendly OSSIARCH BONEREAPER units]]. Yes, you read that right, immunity to Battleshock. Your enemy's only options are killing, flee or be killed. In addition, you do not generate Command Points. Instead, you generate Relentless Discipline Points at the start of each battle round but lose them when you generate your next batch (they should be all spent before that happens).
**Generate a Relentless Discipline Point if:
*** EACH {{AOSKeyword|Ossiarch Bonereapers Hero}} - 1
*** EACH Warscroll Battalion - 1
*** EACH Friendly {{AOSKeyword|LIEGE}} - 1
*** If KATAKROS is the general and on the battlefield - 3
*** Roll a die for each UNIT with the {{AOSKeyword|OSSIARCH BONEREAPERS}} keyword, including the previous {{AOSKeyword|HEROES}}. On a 6, you get 1.
**Unfortunately, you can't use the Generic or Scenario command abilities (rerolling Run, charge, shooting rolls) but you have a ton of CAs that will Guzzle your DP.

*'''Deathless Warriors''': It's Deathless Minions from Legions of Nagash, albeit with a rename. It allows you to ignore wounds and mortal wounds on a 6+. However, you'll be able to get more mileage out of it than other Death armies, as any unit wholly within 12" of a {{AOSKeyword|BONEREAPERS Hero}} or 6" of a Hekatos (i.e: the leader for your battlelines) count for the ability, removing the need to have your Heroes babysitting your units. Units that are {{AOSKeyword|HEKATOS}} (elite bone warriors units) always benefit from the ability, allowing them to strike out entirely unsupported.

*'''Unstoppable Advance (CA)''': In Movement Phase. Pick 1 unit within X" of a hero or hekatos. +3" movement. It can still run OR charge. You cannot pick the same unit more than once per phase.

===Command Traits===

====Liege-Kavalos====
*'''Ancient Knowledge:''' While on the battlefield, get an extra RDP at the start of the battle round.
*'''Immortal Ruler:''' Deathless Warrior trait works on a 5+ for this general. Always good.
*'''Dark Acolyte:''' Becomes a 1 cast/unbind {{AOSKeyword|WIZARD}} with one Mortisan Lore spell.
*'''Peerless Warrior:''' Melee wound rolls of 6 deal an extra mortal wound.
*'''Hatred of the Living:''' +1 to hit in melee (including their mount) against non-{{AOSKeyword|DEATH}} units.
*'''Life-stealer:''' If they kill any models in combat, heal 1d3 wounds at the end of that phase.

====Mortisan====
*'''Ancient Knowledge:''' While on the battlefield, get an extra RDP at the start of the battle round.
*'''Immortal Ruler:''' Deathless Warrior trait works on a 5+ for this general. Always good.
*'''Dire Ultimatum:''' -2 to Bravery for enemies within 12". Although it requires coordinating a couple of units, you can cause a MASSIVE debuff to enemy Bravery by combining this and the Scroll of Command (see below).
*'''Grave-sand Bones:''' Knows an extra spell from the Lore of the Mortisans.
*'''Oathbreaker Curse:''' Every time your opponent gets a CP, on a d6 roll of 6 it is lost. Obviously Katakros does it better, but this does work more than once per turn if your enemy has CP-generating abilities.
*'''Soul Energy:''' You can re-roll casting, unbinding and dispelling rolls, but whenever you do you take a mortal wound.

===Artefacts===
*'''Relics of the Kavaloi (Liege-Kavalos)'''
#'''Mind Blade:''' Pick one of bearer’s melee weapons. If unmodified hit roll is a 6, and target is a hero, opponent loses a Command Point and the hero can’t use command abilities for the rest of the battle. Apart from only working on sixes this is incredible.
#'''Lordly Phylactery:''' Once per battle start of any phase, gain D3 RD points.
#'''Scroll of Command:''' Subtract 2 Bravery from enemy units within 6” of bearer. Only really recommended if you're going for Mortis Praetorians (see their Legion description for more information). Although, a Liege-Kavalos with this, with a Mortisan general with the Dire Ultimatum command trait nearby drops enemy Bravery by a whopping -4!
#'''Grave-sand Boneplates:''' At the end of the combat phase, roll dice for each enemy unit within 3”, on a 4+ that unit suffers a mortal wound. Vies with Scroll of Command for the second best choice.
#'''Marrow Pact:''' Once per battle, in hero phase pick one enemy unit within 6” of bearer. On a 3+, unit suffers D3 mortal wounds, heal the same number of wounds.
#'''Helm of the Ordained:''' Add one to hit rolls for attacks made by {{AOSKeyword|BONEREAPERS}} units and mounts while wholly within 12” of the bearer. One of the best choices for a Liege-Kavalos if including Bonereaper Legion weapons, otherwise it's the best unless you have a very specific playstyle in mind.

*'''Tools of the Boneshaper (Boneshapers)'''
#<s>Skeleton</s> '''Artisan's key:''' Before using the bearer’s bone shaper ability, roll a dice and on a 4+ either you can pick two units instead of one, or the same unit twice within 6”. The best of the three by a narrow margin.
#'''Lode of Saturation:''' At the start of the Hero phase, choose a unit within 1”, deathless warrior battle trait on 5+ instead of 6.
#'''Crafter Gems:''' Hero phase, heal up to 3 wounds. Once the total wounds healed in the battle is 3 you cannot use it any longer.

*'''Treasures of the Soulmason (Soulmasons)'''
#'''Gothizzar Cartouche:''' +1 to melee wound rolls for units wholly within 9” of bearer if target does not have Death keyword. The best option if you're not facing {{AOSKeyword|DEATH}} armies.
#'''Soul Reservior:''' +2 to cast, but if casting roll is unmodified 10+ artifact cannot be used again.
#'''Thorne of Dzendt:''' +2 to wounds and +2 attacks for mount. A good all around choice, especially for keeping your chair bound wizard safe.

*'''Weapons of the Soulreaper (Soulreapers)'''
#'''Luminscythe:''' minus 1 for hit rolls targeting bearer. +1 casting rolls for bearer for Lore of Mortisans or warscroll spell.
#'''Vial of Binding:''' Once per battle in hero phase, pick enemy model within 12" of bearer and roll a D6. If roll is equal or greater than the wound characteristic they are slain. The best choice if you take a Soul Reaper, and the obvious choice for offensive.
#'''Guardian Reavesoul:''' Negate wound on a 5+ instead of 6+ for deathless minions. Can shatter to negate last wound if about to die. If you're not taking Vial of Binding, this is the go-to choice.

===Spell Lore===
#'''Arcane Command:''' CV5. Gain D3 Relentless Discipline Points. Nice if you've got an extra spell, or had some bad luck with your rolls.
# '''Empower Nadirite Weapons: ''' CV5. Pick 1 {{AOSKeyword|BONEREAPERS}} unit wholly within 24" and visible. Until the start of your next hero phase, the units Nadirite Weapons ability explodes on a 5+ instead of 6, or 4+ if its a {{AOSKeyword|DEATHRIDERS}} attacking with spears after charging.
# '''Protection of Nagash: ''' CV6. 5+ FNP for the caster. If any wounds get through your FNP, and the caster isn't slain, remove them from the battlefield after all wounds have been allocated, and place them anywhere on the board 9" away from enemy models then dispel this spell. Great for getting important casters out of sticky situations, or absolutely hilarious on Nagash if you wanna fuck with your opponent.
# '''Reinforce Battle-shields: ''' CV6. Pick 1 {{AOSKeyword|BONEREAPERS}} unit armed with Shields or Nadirite Battle-shields wholly within 24" and visible. Until the start of your next hero phase, they gain a 5+ FNP but only for mortal wounds. Pair this with a gothizzar harvester, the reroll saves command ability for some truly unkillable troops.
# '''Drain Vitality: ''' CV6. Pick 1 enemy unit within 18" and visible. Until your next hero phase, reroll unmodified hit and save rolls of 6 made by that unit. Good for blunting a spooky unit's charge, but less useful than the other options available.
# '''Mortal Contract: ''' CV7. Pick 1 enemy unit within 18" and visible. For the rest of the '''BATTLE''', roll a die at the end of any phase that the unit dealt damage to a friendly {{AOSKeyword|BONEREAPERS}} unit (but only if it was with an attack). On 3+, the cursed unit suffers D3 mortal wounds. Lawdy, this is probably the most obnoxious spell we can sling, if you can remember who you marked the entire game. Great into low unit-count armies.

===Endless Spells===

An important distinction to note between these Endless Spells and others that exist is that the ones presented below have the '''Soul-Linked''' ability, meaning they always move before Endless Spells without the Soul-Linked ability and are controlled by the casting Player only, meaning your opponent cannot control these Endless Spells to mess with your plans. However on the flip side, the Wizard who cast the spell has a -1 to his casting rolls and cannot cast anymore soul-linked spells while their soul-linked endless spell is up. If the caster dies then the soul-linked spell is also dispelled, so keep him alive if you want the spells to last.

*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls//aos-warscroll-Bone-tithe-Shrieker-en.pdf Bone-tithe Shrieker]''': Gives -1 bravery, and +1 to be hit to enemy units within 12" of it. Simple, but effective. Place it just in front of your battle line to make the enemy think twice, or use it to make holding an objective less than desirable.
*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls//aos-warscroll-Soulstealer-Carrion-en.pdf Soulstealer Carrion]''': Gives LOS to the Soul-Linked wizard. You won't be taking it for this. Instead, you'll be taking it for it's actual ability: Soul Thief. Roll a D6 at the end of each Phase if any Chaos, Order, or Destruction models were slain within 6" of it. On a 1 or 2, the Wizard this Endless Spell is Soul-Linked with heals a wound. On a 3 or 4, it does 1 Mortal Wound on each Chaos, Destruction or Order unit within 6" of it, and on a 5-6, it does both effects. AMAZINGLY fun, if you're not playing into Death, so do with that as you will.

*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls//aos-warscroll-Nightmare-Predator-en.pdf The Nightmare Predator]''': Your standard causes Mortal Wounds Endless Spell (dealing D3 Mortal Wounds to all non-bonecasts within 3" of it), but with a twist - when cast, pick an enemy Hero to be marked as it's prey. If this spell gets within range of them, it spits out d6 mortal wounds instead. For it's dirt cheap point cost, this is almost auto-include.

==Famous Legions==
<big>Mortis Praetorians</big>
*'''Battle Traits''': '''The Dread Legion''':-1 bravery to enemy units within 12".
*'''Command Trait''': '''Katakros' Chosen''': Once per battle if the general is on the Battlefield, gain D3 RDP points.
*'''Command Ability''': '''Counter-strike''': Pick a friendly unit within 6" of a HEKATOS or 12" of a HERO. If charged, they can re-roll hits.
*'''Artefact of Power''': '''Artificer's Blade''': Pick one of the bearer's melee weapons. It has -3 Rend.
The poster boys, the jack-of-all-trades and the best choice if you’re bringing Katakros, otherwise it's quite situational since other death armies capitalize on "fear-bombing" more effectively (looking at you, Legions of Grief and Blood).

<big>Petrifex Elite</big>
*'''Battle Traits''': '''Unstoppable Juggernauts''': As of the FAQ, they re-roll save rolls of 1 in melee.
*'''Command Trait''': '''Mighty Archaeossian''': +2 Wounds.
*'''Command Ability''': '''Bludgeon''': In the combat phase, give a unit +1 rend on one weapon, can't stack.
*'''Artefact of Power''': '''Godbone Armor''': The first wound allocated to the bearer in each '''phase''' is negated.
Makes your entire army (including Nagash) overall more tanky, gives your commander a few extra wounds for a chuckle, lets you put some durability on a caster via the relic (especially useful if you're bringing some Endless Spells), AND comes with a command ability that makes you killy, just to throw your opponent for a loop. Pre-nerf it added +1 to everyone's armor save and was THE choice of Bonereaper Legion. Now it's decent but no longer the one best choice.

<big>Null Myriad</big>
*'''Battle Traits''': '''Eldritch Nulls''': Ignore the effects of spells on a 5+.
*'''Command Trait''': '''Unsettling and Sinister''': -1 to Bravery in 3", and -1 to be hit during combat phase.
*'''Command Ability''': '''Holdfast''': Make the battle trait work on a 2+ instead of 5+.
*'''Artefact of Power''': '''Baleful Blade''': Pick 1 of the bearer's weapons. [[Awesome|Saves can't be made against attacks from this weapon and wounds can't be negated]] (though they can later be healed).
The magic choice. Their innate rules mean you can focus more on offensive magic, and the Artefact is perfect for any combat character... but is obviously best on a Liege-Kavalos. One of the best choices, but if your meta is very magic heavy this is clearly the best. Make those six hallowheart battlemages cry because they can do nothing to you (and then notice that you can't probably do much to them either, so the battle is probably a void of winds of magic).

<big>Ivory Host</big>
*'''Battle Traits''': At the start of each combat phase, any IVORY HOST unit within 6" of an IVORY HOST model that is wounded is subject to rage for that phase. While subject to rage, get +1 to hit, but -1 save. Dependent on having damaged multi-wound models nearby and can potentially really mess your own forces up, but can lead to you hitting very hard. Fortunately, as it's only for the combat phase, you don't have to worry about it when you're being shot at.
*'''Command Trait''': Every hero phase your general gains 1 attack for all his melee weapons on a 5+. Best to have a Liege-Kavalos as your general for this.
*'''Command Ability''': Cancel the -1 save from the battle trait. This is what makes the Ivory host interesting, letting you pull some shenanigans with a screen unit or pulling some clutch damage out at a vital time.
*'''Artefact of Power''': '''Beastbound Blade''': One of the bearer's melee weapons gets +1 attack.
The combat choice, though dependent on good dice rolls, positioning and carefully picking your fights. Decent, but there are better options.

<big>Stalliarch Lords</big>
*'''Battle Traits''': Run and charge. Pretty good for increasing your threat range on a slow army.
*'''Command Trait''': Pick an enemy hero within 3" at the start of the combat phase. Gain +1 to hit against it but -1 to anything else. Pretty situational and lackluster.
*'''Command Ability''': Retreat and charge in the same turn. Good for repositioning or getting your charge bonuses again. Here's looking at you, Deathriders.
*'''Artefact of Power''': '''Nadir-Bound Mount''': Can only be taken by a Liege-Kavalos. They roll D3 additional dice for their Unstoppable Charge ability.
The speedy and somewhat trollish choice. Do you wanna go fast? Do you want a liege or Zandtos to run fast next to fast cavalry? Or if you take a Liege make them hit like a ton of bricks? Then go these guys. They let you skimp out of the costly battalion with their inherent command ability, and make your already fast cavalry even faster. They even pair well with Stalkers, Morghast Harbingers or Harvesters, to just really irritate your opponent.

<big>Crematorians</big>
*'''Battle Traits''': '''Immolation''': When a model dies you get a chance to cause MW to an enemy within 3" on a 5+, with monsters and characters adding 1 to their roll/going off on a 4+.
*'''Command Trait''': '''Wrathful Avenger''': If the general dies, add 2 to the dice roll for Immolation and it does D3 Mortal Wounds rather than 1.
*'''Command Ability''': '''Levelers of Cities''': One friendly CREMATORIANS unit with 6" of a Hekatros or 12" of a hero ignores cover saves.
*'''Artefact of Power''': '''Searing Blade''': Pick one of the bearer's melee weapons and add 1 to the Damage characteristic.
The TRUE trolling choice. Paired with some revives and harvesters, and laugh as your opponent realizes that killing your models meant their guys died and then revived the dudes they just tried to kill, rinse and repeat.

==Warscrolls==
The common keywords of these warscrolls are: '''DEATH''', '''OSSIARCH BONEREAPERS'''

===Leaders===
====Named Leaders====
*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls//aos-warscroll-Katakros-Mortarch-of-the-Necropolis-en.pdf Orpheon Katakros, Mortarch of the Necropolis]''': (500pts) Like Skarbrand, his attacks get stronger the more wounds he takes. Katakros himself has [[Awesome|Rend and Damage 3]] and he can bop foes with his shield to dole out Mortal Wounds, so he can dish out some hurt in combat, but not until he's taken some wounds representing his companions dying so Katakros himself joins the fray. However, he is one of the slowest characters in the game - 4" move (which doesn’t much matter when he’s on a '''12 centimetre''' base, and you can use the Relentless Advance to make Katakros move 7") and can't fly, but Mortarch of Necropolis allows Katakros to heal up to three friendly OBR units wholly within 24" of his model for 3 wounds worth on your hero phase. Katakros is a friendly OBR unit within 24" of himself, so he can choose to heal himself for 3 wounds every one of your hero phases. Because he is so slow, he hates cannons even more than his boss so engage shooty armies at your own risk. He's pricey in points and cash, but you get what you pay for - no more no less - as he's a good beatstick and support character, just don't try to send him up against other super combat lords who have a damage of 3 or better because he can easily get his shit kicked in, especially if they're wearing the Ethereal Amulet or have some serious wound negation. If your opponent is fielding a character with either (or worse, both) then make sure to screen him out. It's better to not get him in combat and keep your Relentless Discipline points, heals and Command Point sabotage than it is for you to possibly lose all of those.
*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls//aos-warscroll-Nagash-Supreme-Lord-of-the-Undead-en.pdf Nagash, Supreme Lord of the Undead]''': (880pts) Changed from his early forms, Nagash is now 30 points more expensive, and no longer loots the spells from all of his Death-based allies. (but he does know the whole spell lore by default.) Instead, he can now restore wounds/models to 5 of his Bonecast Eternals, and can sling Mystic Shield and Arcane Bolt as much as his undead heart (and casting limit) desire.
**As Nagash and Arkhan gain the OSSIARCH BONEREAPERS keyword, they can heal themselves, making them quite a bit more resilient in an OBR army than when accompanying their own legions. Go figure.
*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls//aos-warscroll-Arkhan-the-Black-Mortarch-of-Sacrament-en.pdf Arkhan the Black, Mortarch of Sacrament]''': (360pts) Much like Nagash, Arkhan is more expensive now, at a "whopping" 20 points more than before. With an extra cast and deny, and the ability to sling Arcane Bolt and Mystic Shield like his Boss, (along with learning the whole spell lore,) it sounds like that price increase came with some buffs. However, overall Arkhan's in a slightly more disappointing place. Curse of Years no longer succeeds on 1s, meaning it's slightly more fair, and his command ability has now been limited to one use a turn, spoiling an awful lot of fun that could have been had.

*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls//aos-warscroll-Arch-Kavalos-Zandtos-en.pdf Arch-Kavalos Patru Zandtos]''': (220pts) A named Mortis Praetorians Liego-Kavalos, with additional abilities like more damage on the charge, rerolls to wound, and another CA that grants a Praetorians unit the same reroll ability. A good choice for leader - practically an auto-take if you want a Liege-Kavalos in Mortis Praetorians, unless you have a specific Legion or combo in mind.

*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls//aos-warscroll-Volkmortian-Master-of-the-Bone-tithe-en.pdf Vokmortion, Master of the Bone-tithe]''': (180pts) He is a Wizard that should be very close to the front lines. He has a chance to prevent a model within 3" from attacking him on a 5+ as a defense. He also has a 12" aura of -1 to bravery and -1 to any Wizard attempting to unbind any spell he casts (which improves in that rare instance an enemy General dies near him). His Unique spell can instantly kill any model within 1" of him on a 5+, and the range on it cannot be modified, which can be used to punish any foolish combat heroes or big monsters he ends up fighting - though it is a bit unreliable to make him a dedicated assassin. Overall, he should be standing behind your troops (ideally Immortis Guard or Mortek Guard), providing the debuff and using his 2 spells per turn.

====Generic Leaders====
*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls//aos-warscroll-Liege-Kavalso-en.pdf Liege-Kavalos]''': (200pts) Your commander on a big-boned mount that gives two guaranteed Relentless Discipline points. Lots of decent attacks, but nothing too nutty. When he charges he has an increased pile in and the ability to fling out some extra mortal wounds. His Command Ability gives a unit wholly within 12" +1 attack. He probably functions best running with some deathriders for a spoopy cavalry wing, though having him roam around your anvils can make for some good time damage output.

*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls//aos-warscroll-Mortisan-Soulreaper-en.pdf Mortisan Soulreaper]''': (120pts) Our CC battlemage, though with his weapon the most he'll be reaping is chaff mobs. His unique spell lets him smack one unit at range, or every unit in CC with him with a few mortal wounds. Probably our worst unit, as outside of his spell-slinging, he's basically a really expensive cairn wraith from nighthaunt. Look elsewhere, unless you really love his amazing model.

*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls//aos-warscroll-Mortisan-Boneshaper-en.pdf Mortisan Boneshaper]''': (130pts) Probably your most included HQ, and part of the <s>glue that holds your army together</s> calcium that strengthens your bone boys. With the ability to restore 3 wounds (or 3 wounds worth of boys (raise 3 Mortek Guard, or 1 Kavalos Deathriders everything else has 4+ wounds)) to a friendly squad and sling a few spells, he feels close to auto-include, especially if you left Nagash or Arkhan at home. His unique spell lets him fling [[Awesome|BONESTORM!]] at an enemy unit, roll for each model within 18" and every 6 deals a mortal wound, a nice anti-horde spell being easy to cast on 5. Keep him out of combat and out of LoS so he can spend your whole game building bonecasts in a dark corner away from anyone else.
** Boneshapers and Immortis Guard are a good match, as they can take wounds for him and he can heal them if they take too many hits.

*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls//aos-warscroll-Mortisan-Soulmason-en.pdf Mortisan Soulmason]''': (140pts) The grand vizier will see you now. He's got a passable melee profile, but that's not why you take him. He's a wizard with 2 casts and unbinds and a unique spell, Soul-Guide, that gives a friendly Ossiarch Bonereapers unit the ability to reroll 1's to hit. Pretty good so far, but it gets better. At the end of your hero phase, on a 2+ cast Soul-Guide more times even if it was already attempted that turn. Basically, bring him when you're spamming catapults (or anything, really) and spread the re-rolling to hit love.
** For extra fun, his potential multiple casts force the enemy to consider whether to unbind these spells or other spells.

===Battleline===
*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls//aos-warscroll-Mortek-Guard-en.pdf Mortek Guard]''': (Battleline, 130/440pts, Min:10, Max:40) Your basic skellies are a decently-protected lot with a 4+ save. Their basic weapons are 2 attacks with -1 Rend sword or a spear, both can double the hits inflicted on a 6+ to hit. The greatblade, on the other hand, trades that for a slightly better wound score, which isn't remarkable but at least keeps the sword's Rend. Their slow speed is helped by their banner giving them +1 to runs and charges, and the +3" move order mentioned above. A good choice for loadout is sword for smaller units and spears for bigger units.
**'''Mortek Hekatos''': This boy is a mini-HQ that gives to your Relentless Discipline pool and keys to a lot of other things. (in big units you have to pack a lot of models very close together to have Deathless Warriors). He's only got an attack more than the base guard, but he also confers a command ability that lets his pack re-roll all saves for the combat phase - much more valuable for their survival.
** With the Petrifex Elite, you can take the spears and use the Petrifex command ability to give them rend, just save the spears for larger units of Mortek Guard.

*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls//aos-warscroll-Kavalos-Deathriders-en.pdf Kavalos Deathriders]''': (Battleline, 180/460pts, Min:5, Max:15) Your basic skellies, but on a horse! When compared to their foot-slogging brothers, these guys have +1 attack and 3 wounds each, the 2 extra pony swings we all know and love (actually, even their horses are on steroids, wounding on a 3+), and a whopping 12" move compared to the former's 4". Not only that, but their spears have exploding hits on a 5+ roll on the charge, giving you a bit more reason to consider selling the rend on your swords.
**'''Mortek Hekatos''': Much like the Mortek Guard, the Deathrider's hekatos has +1 attack with their weapon, but his command ability gives you some mortal wound output on the charge and a double-range pile in. FAQ'd to confirm a unit can only benefit from this once per phase.

===Hekatos===
*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls//aos-warscroll-Necropolis-Stalkers-en.pdf Necropolis Stalkers]''': (180pts, Min:3, Max:6) Speedy, Re-rolling, <s>tyranid warriors </s> skeleton boys. Each turn, these massive lads pick whether they want to re-roll hits, wounds, saves, or add +1 to their weapons' Rend and Damage. While rerolling saves is nice when you get charged by something scary, you'll almost always use +1 rend and damage, as it turns your basic stalker into a stormcast blender, and your unit leader <s>into a literal monster</s> into an equally strong blender as the normal weapons, when enhanced with -1 rend and +1 dmg, are actually stronger than the special weapon, proven by Mathhammer. Their command ability that lets them re-roll run and charge rolls while also ignoring terrain as if they could fly.
** Another option is to run them with a Soulmason equipped with the Gothizzar Cartouche in support which gives +1 to wound rolls. Now, assuming you also have Katakros on the board and you can get Soul-Guide onto your Stalkers then the best Aspect to run is the Destroyer Aspect because this combo would then mean your hitting on 2's and re-rolling 1's '''AND''' wounding on 2's (with spirit blades)
** Upon testing with Mathhammer, in this precise scenario, precision still pulls far ahead if you take 3 of the normal weapons and give them all of these buffs. There is around an average damage difference of 5 per round.
*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls//aos-warscroll-Immortis-Guard-en.pdf Immortis Guard]''': (180pts, Min:3, Max:12)The Anvil to the stalker's hammer. These guys have a lower damage output, with 2 3+/3+/-2/2 damage (though the base rend 2 is nice), and the ability to bop someone with their shields for a bit of extra damage, with the occasional mortal wound when rolling a 6. Their main draw, however, is their base 3+ save and bodyguard ability. Whenever they're within 3" of a friendly hero, on a 2+ they must eat a wound or mortal wound that would have been applied to said hero. Their command ability lets them immediately pile in and swing again after their first go, but only with their shields. Less than impressive, but nice for positioning. Having two weapons means they get more out of the Liege's extra attack command ability, and with their own on top of that the mortal wounds do become bit more reliable.
*'''Morghasts [https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls//aos-warscroll-Morghast-Archai-en.pdf Archai] & [https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls//aos-warscroll-Morghast-Harbingers-en.pdf Harbingers]''': (190pts, Min:2, Max:6) Nagash's angels of death come in 2 flavors, with the archai having a chance to shrug off mortal wounds, and harbingers getting a 3d6 charge. Beyond those differences either one is monstrous combatants, and tough to boot, with 6 wounds 4+ armor and being Hekatos for the death save. They also have a bravery debuff as a bonus. You should always take the halberd for 3 attacks at 3+/3+/-2/3, as they will only do less damage against units with a 6+ save, shown by Mathhammer. You don't want your Morghasts engaging Chaff, as they aren't meant to be wiping chaff for you. Additionally, adding attacks to the Halberd from your Liege is much stronger than doing so to your swords.
** See the above option for Stalkers and apply to Morghasts - you'll lose out on the re-rolling wounds but up the rend to -2 and the damage to 3 (with halberds) so the Mathammer will result in more wounds on average (even if you run swords) - only real issue with this is keep up with the Morghasts on your bone throne.
** Following the Petrifex nerf, these guys just got a bit more viable. They mesh well with quite a few Legions (the Archai save against spells compliments Null Myriad spell nullifying, the Harbingers compliment the Stalliarch rules - and they're probably our best unit against the Kharadron Overlords and more).

===Behemoths===
*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls//aos-warscroll-Gothizzar-Harvester-en.pdf Gothizzar Harvester]''': (200pts, Behemoth) Big guy has 10 wounds and a 4+ save. Has good damage potential with 4 solid ranged attacks and a BUNCH of 2 damage melee swings, with a choice between bludgeons or sickles. These weapons have the exact same melee stats, but different effects. Bludgeons do 2 mortal wounds on unmodified hits of 6 instead of normal damage, (basically giving the guy a Nighthaunt's frightful touch) while the sickles get +1 to hit against units with 5+ models. The Bludgeons are the better choice, as there are other ways to boost hit rolls and Mortal Wounds are useful whoever you're up against. More importantly than that, this guy is a <s>another source of precious calcium</s> healer. Each time any models (friend or foe) die within 3" of him, he can heal an Ossiarch Bonereaper unit within 6" on a 4+. The heals he gives depends on the wounds characteristic of the model slain. It's worth noting he can do this to himself, making his relatively fragile 10 wounds and 4+ save last a little longer.
**For the Crematorians, this guy makes the list even more trollish. Camp him by your Mortek Guard, and when they die and cause mortal wounds, he can heal them right back up. Free mortal wounds, anyone?
*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls//aos-warscroll-Mortek-Crawler-en.pdf Mortek Crawler]''': (200pts, Artillery, Behemoth) The most trolltastic catapult in all of AoS. With a nice 36" range and solid durability, it starts as a remarkably strong springboard for the absolute terror of its ammo types. Once per battle, you can fire a different choice of ammo from two different options and their effects are trolltastically memeable.
**Necrotic Skulls: Your normal shots. You're getting a pretty hefty 3 2+/3+/-/variable shots that start at 5 damage, and dips down to 1 as the model takes damage. Good as a general all-rounder, but pales in comparison to what follows.
***Just to reiterate however: 3 shots at 5 damage initially. Although lack of rend hurts, this is a horde killing volley beyond compare, particularly as their hit and wound rolls are so good.
**Cauldron of Torment: the first of the meme shots. Instead of firing like normal, you roll a dice for every model in the target unit, and whenever you meet or beat their '''UNMODIFIED''' Bravery, one model is slain. "But Anon," you reply, "lots of units have high Bravery! That's not good," To which I say, sure, you're right. this isn't good against undead, Stormcast, or Chaos, but do you know what it IS good against? grots, where you wipe half of whatever squad you fire at. Or freeguild, where you gun down a third of whatever unit you want in a ghostly fog. And we're STILL not done with this bad boy.
**Cursed Stele: Does your local meta not really do hordes? Or do they just love low model-count armies with high leadership? Well, have I got a unit for you! Instead of shooting normally, pick a model within range (so, characters, banners, unit leaders, etc.) and roll 2d6. If you roll equal to or higher than their wound stat, the guy dies (with some modifiers, starting at -3 to your roll, slowly turning to +3 as you lose wounds). This right here is disgusting. With an average roll of 4, you kill support heroes about 60% of the time or get to guaranteed snipe off important banners or unit champions whenever you're feeling cheeky. Did that daemon prince swoop in and drop you to 1 wound? Wouldn't it be great if his failure meant your average roll is now a 10 and insta-gibs the winged sexy, sexy biscuit daemon? (Lovely to consider, but the 6" minimum range on the Crawler's attacks means if it's in melee it's been neutered - protect at all costs!)

===Scenery===
*'''Bone-tithe Nexus''': (0pts) Your mandatory accompanying setpiece is a giant monolith surrounded by bones upon bones. In truth it acts more like a sentry that can chuck out one of four different Punishments each turn: -1 to hit, MW Sniping, causes problem for a wizard, or Can't run and only roll 1d6 for charges. The physical footprint of this thing is BIG. You're supposed to place the terrain before defining and placing any of the game's (neutral) terrain. Placing the damn thing can therefore be problematic in organized events, where terrain is pre-set before the game starts.

==Battalions==
<big>'''Ossiarch Cohort'''</big> 100 pts (min points: '''4450''')
''Katakros, Zandtos or Liege Kavalos, 1-3 Mortek Shield-Corps, 1-3 Kavalos Lances, 1 Mortisian Trident, 1-2 Katakrosian Deathglaives, 1 Aegis Immortal, 1 Mortek Ballistari''
* The Super Battalion.
For putting together all that dough together your general generates 1d3 additional RDPs at the beginning of your hero phase.

<big>'''Aegis Immortal'''</big> 80 pts (min points: '''690''')
''1 Archai, 2 Immortis.''
The ARCHAI from this battalion has the SOULBOUND PROTECTORS ability from the Immortis Guard warscroll. In addition, if you use the SOULBOUND PROTECTORS and the roll is a 5+, the wound/MW is negated instead of allocated to a unit from this battalion. Take with Petrifex Elite to make your characters near unkillable. Solid choice, pun intended, the only drawback is if you want a more offensive playstyle since this is defensive-based.

<big>'''Katakrosian Deathglaive'''</big> 80 pts (min points: '''690''')
''2 Stalkers, 1 Morghast Harbinger''
After units are set up but before the first battleround, if all units from the btn are WHOLLY WITHIN 12" of the Harbingers, you can move any of them up to 6" The best name for a Battalion in all of AoS. Useful for strategic positioning and claiming objectives, it's a decent choice. One foe it does help against is Kharadron Overlords, positioning your Morghasts and Stalkers to better catch their fliers.

<big>'''Kavalos Lance'''</big> 120 pts (min points: '''680''')
''Arch-Kavalos OR 1 Liege-Kavalos, 2 Kavalos Deathriders.''
Units from this battalion can retreat and charge if wholly within 12" of the Liege when the charge roll is made. In addition, once per turn, you can use the Deathrider Wedge CA for a unit from this battalion without spending RDP. Pretty good, especially if you bring a spellcaster with Empower Nadirite Weapons, more so if you're running Petrifex to give the weapons extra rend. Just remember it's a waste of points if you're using the Stalliarch Lords legion because they do this but better and for free.

<big>'''Mortek Ballistari'''</big> 100 pts (min points: '''760''')
''1 Boneshaper, 1 Mortek Guard, 2 Crawlers.''
Roll a die before you allocate a wound/MW to a Crawler from this btn while it is within 3" of the Mortek Guard unit from the same btn. Add 2 if the Crawler is within 3" of the Boneshaper from the same btn. On a 4+, it is instead allocated to the GUARD instead of the CRAWLER.

<big>'''Mortek Shield-corps'''</big> 120 pts (min points: '''630''')
''Either Volkmortian, a Boneshaper, a Soulreaper OR a Soulmason, and 3 Mortek Guard.''
Once per turn, you can use Shieldwall for one unit in the battalion without spending RDP. The cheapest option, and a decent choice, making your Mortek Guard that much more durable and freeing RDP to be spent elsewhere. Petrifex Mortek Guard will be even tougher with a free re-roll, and it's a good safety net if a unit loses their Hekatos.

<big>'''Mortisan Trident'''</big> 110 pts (min points: '''700''')
''1 Boneshaper, 1 Soulreaper, 1 Soulmason, 1 Harvester.''
EACH Mortisan from this battalion can attempt to cast 1 extra spell if WITHIN 18" of the harvester AND the harvester is within 3" of any enemy units.

<big> '''Volkmortian’s Retinue''' </big> 120 pts (min points: '''840''')
''Volkmortian, 1 Mortek Guard, 1 Stalker, and 1 Archai.''
The exclusive battalion from Feast of Bones. At the start of your hero phase, you can return 1 slain model to a unit within 8 inches of Morty.
This battalion, and it's older dreadier brother, is the armies only reliable method of bringing back dead Stalkers and Archai.

<big> '''Volkmortian’s Dread Retinue''' </big> 130 pts (min points: '''850''')
''Volkmortian, 1-3 Mortek Guard, 1 Stalker, and 1-2 Archai or Harbingers, in any configuration.''
One of the battalions from May 2020's issue of White Dwarf. This battalion must be taken with the Mortis Praetorians legion. Comes with the same ability as Vokmortain's Retinue, but also gives you a start of game ability to hurt the chances of a single enemy hero hitting Vokmortian. Because you can take Harbingers instead of Archai with this battalion, which opens up returning Morghast Harbingers to play, this battalion is much better than the regular Retinue. The restriction on legion means that, of course, this cannot really be considered competitive at this time.

<big> '''Harvester Scythe Corps''' </big> 100 pts (min points: '''660''')
''2 Kavalos Deathriders and 1 Gothizzar Harvester.''
One of the battalions from May 2020's issue of White Dwarf. This battalion must be taken with the Mortis Praetorians legion. Battalion lets you add one to wound rolls for the Harvester if within 12 of the dead ponies. Decent if you need to generate the RDP and the artefact, but if you are taking a pair of Deathriders, you might as well be taking a Liege and going for the Kavalos Lance battalion, which also doesn't restrict you out of the better legions.

<big> '''Vokmortian's Tithe Legion''' </big> 110 pts (min points: '''5640''')
''This list of other battalions: 1 Vokmortian's Dread Retinue, 1-3 Mortek Shield Corps, 1 Mortisan Trident, 1-2 Katakrosian Deathglaives, 1 Aegis Immortal, 1-3 Kavalos Lances or Harvester Scythe Corps in any configuration, 1 Mortek Ballistari, 1 Harvester Scythe Corps.''
One of the battalions from May 2020's issue of White Dwarf. This battalion must be taken with the Mortis Praetorians legion.
The boring part of this battalion is that you probably won't ever get to field it, and even if you do, the abilities from it aren't the best. You get to generate an additional D3 RDP per hero phase, and you get to take '''any number of''' Nighthaunt allies, without them counting against ally rules. Super battalions are fun, but this one means that outside of the nearly 6k points you have to spend on it, you also need Nighthaunt to make use of it. It's a good goal for a collection, though.

==Army Building==
=== Getting Started ===
When getting started with the Ossiarch Bonereapers, it's important that you understand the direction you want to take your list in. If you are going for competitive, you're going to be making the most out of Mortek Guard, while if you are going for fun and cool, you have a lot of fun and cool options.

If new to the game, look out for a Feast of Bones set half, as it can be a great start to your Ossiarch Army. Another way to start would be with a box of Mortek Guard and a Liege Kavalos, as this gives you a little bit less than a Start Collecting worth of points, but a lot of cool units to start working on.

=== Currently Competitive ===

The best lists right now center around the fact that Mortek Guard units are incredibly over-statted for their points cost.

==== Heroes ====

A Petrifex-aligned Liege-Kavalos is a mainstay in the General position, as the Mighty Croissant command trait and Godbone Armor artefact make it a 9 wound, ignoring first wounds of every phase monster, along with the extra RDP generation for being a liege, and Mystic Shield making the Liege basically indestructible, as Nagash would have wanted. The other best hero seems to be the Soulmason, as it has great casting for the points, and really fills out the support role of your army.

You can also build Nagash or Arkhan centric lists, and those typically look like Nagash/Arkhan + 40 blobs of guard and a support unit or two.

==== Battleline ====

Mortek Guard, usually a pair of 2 40 blobs are great. Then, fill out the battleline with some of those dead ponies. Seriously, Mortek Guard are only 130 points right now, can be given exploding 5+s and additional rend.

==== Other Models ====

Gothizzar harvesters can be run as a one of per blob of Guard you manage to field. This means that your Mortek Guard is going to have a 4+/6+/4+ save, which is equal to about a 13.88% (or a "1.25+" save equivalent) chance to wound. Per model. That's like having a 0.83+ save.

Mortek Crawlers can be utilized to constantly rampage as your large blobs of guard gum up the board, create incredibly tough tar pits, and slow down enemy units. Another benefit is that if a cheap unit is used by your opponent to attempt to capture an objective, you might be able to wipe it out before it gains any points if you notice it soon enough and identify that part of your opponent's game plan.

==== Spells ====

There are several good spells that you can take, although overall the spell lore is kind of boring. Empower Nadirite Weapons is the best spell in the lore, mainly because most lists are running blobs of 40 Mortek Guard and the spell makes them table. Arcane Command can be taken on a second support wizard, as can Mortal Contract, depending on who you think you might be facing. Reinforce shield walls can also be a decent spell, especially if you are combining several layers of saves to make Mortek Guard the ultimate pit of bone.

==== Using Battalions ====

Because of the ability to increase RDP generation, there are some ways you can use cheap battalions to increase the amount of RDP you have, and lower the amount you need for specific units. One of the best and cheapest battalions is the Mortek Shield Corps battalion, which requires one of your 3 Mortisans or Vokmortian and 3 units of 10 Mortek Guard, allowing you to use one of the CAs on the Mortek Guard for free, once per turn. It also presents you with an additional RDP per turn. The shield wall ability allows you to reroll saves, which means that your 3+/6+ save (for Petrifex elite) turns into a 3+/3+/6+ save. Now, add in one of those Harvesters, meaning that you have a 3+/3+/4+/6+ save, or a 4.63% chance to fail incoming non-rend armor saves. That means that for every 20 armor saves, less than one should convert to a wound.

The Kavalos Lance battalion makes use of a pair of the fantastically modelled (by Nagash or GW) Kavalos Deathriders, and a Liege Kavalos. This battalion allows you to make up some of the difficulties of movement that the Ossiarch are presented with, and the additional RDP are always great for the +3" movement.

Another interesting battalion to consider taking is the Mortisan Trident Battalion, which would be how you go about building a strong Magical Ossiarch Bonereapers army. With the current state of Tzeentch, however, this army might be a bit rough to play. This battalion requires you to take all three Mortisans, as well as a Harvester, allowing you additional spell casts, when close to the harvester. That battalion and an Arkhan would allow you some crazy amounts of spells, and if you can take full advantage of that, you might end up thrashing a lot of armies that can't deal with heavy spell usage. Sadly, a lot of your spells work much better when you have a lot of your points in Mortek Guard, who are core to any army you create.

Other battalions can be taken solely for RDP generation and the artefacts you can take, seeing as your first artefact will generally have to be the Petrifex Elite artefact, Godbone Armor. Both Boneshapers and Soulmasons have decent "tools" for their artefacts, but they are not necessary, so don't feel forced to take a battalion for some bad models.

==Tactics==

===Mr. Arkhan’s Wild Ride===
Take Arkhan the Black as your general, along with two Gothizzar Harvesters and a buttload of Mortek Guard. Finally put them all under the Crematorians legion. Your boney boys will proceed to explode in the faces of the enemy and then be brought back to un-life from the ashes thanks to the Mortarch and Harvesters’ restoration abilities. Is this trolling? Yes. Is it fun? ''Oh yes.'' Also take a Mortisan Boneshaper as a cherry on top for extra heals and bring an Endless Spell or two; cast with Arkhan to laugh off that casting penalty.
* Nerfed slightly in December 2019 Errata. Now Gothizzar Harvester ability only triggers "each time a model is slain within 3" of any models with this ability." No double dipping on the Gothizzar heals anymore by choosing to remove a model within 3" of both. Personally, I'd say this is a good thing since this formation would be pretty much unbeatable without enough ranged firepower/artillery to snipe the 10 wound Gothizzars out of the Mortek blob (and in a single shooting phase to prevent 6 wound auto-heal from Arkhan and the Boneshaper).

===Trolling with Catapults===
Take a Soulmason as your general and put him in a massive blob of 60 Mortek Guard with 4 Mortek Crawlers behind. With some amazing dice rolls (which can be helped by using the Soul Resevoir artefact) the Soulmason can give all 4 Crawlers rerollable hits of 1. The Guard can block any incoming attackers whilst the catapults bombard your enemies from across the table. Even if your skellie dudes are taken out and the enemy damages your Centipedes of Doom it just means that their characters are more likely to be decimated by the most trolling shot in AoS, the Cursed Stele. So just sit back, relax and watch your enemies die before they even reach you.

Alternatively, take 2 of Ballistari battalions. Lose the Soulmason but gain some mad defenses.

=== Feast of Bones upgrades ===

If you started with the Feast of Bones kit, there are several ways to build the army. The first is the (maybe subjectively) best, which is to go with the Rule of Cool - buy the cool models. Run 3x10 Mortek Guard to get Battleline out of the way, and then take advantage of how cool Morghasts are to scare your opponents.

Starting with Vokmortian, 10x Mortek Guard, 3x Necopolis Stalkers, and 2x Morghasts, and the Vokmortian's Retinue battalion, you can instead use the Dread Retinue Battalion, to use Morghast Harbingers instead of Archai. Or, get a second unit of Stalkers and create the objectively coolest battalion, the Katakrosian Deathglaive. Add in some more guard or Kavalos Deathriders, and whatever else you want that you like. That's it. It's the rule of cool. With Morghasts - the coolest rule of cool unit.

The other way is to move to a more competitive list, but sadly, the Feast of Bones units aren't great. Vokmortian is pretty bad, as are Morghasts, relative to what is offered in the army, although they can be used as a tool. You can run Vokmortian as a Boneshaper, especially if you figure out a cool conversion for it. Then, add in a Soulmason and another support HQ or Liege, and a lot of Mortek Guard. Add in a few Gothizzar Harvesters and/or Crawlers, and you have the fundamentals to a competitive list.

==Allied Armies==
No Allies. Nope, none. Nighthaunt hate your guts. Legions of Nagash hate your attitude. Not even the Flesh Eater Courts is crazy enough to be your friend. Don't like it? Go play Stormcast, and go fuck yourself while you're at it.

There is...one however...

*'''Big Drogg Fort-Kicka''': A Gatebreaker Mega-Gargant available to all Death factions as an ally. Functions like Gotrek in the Order factions where he uses up your whole allies allowance in exchange for a very destructive monster of a unit. His most important feature is the ability to destroy terrain, including faction terrain. He also has a unique breath attack that attacks one unit within 3" at the end of the combat phase; roll a dice for each model in the unit and deal 1MW on a 6+.

{{Age_of_Sigmar_Tactics}}

Age of Sigmar/Tactics/Death/Ossiarch Bonereapers

2020-10-26T13:43:00Z

2406:3400:20F:FFC0:1C9F:B1D1:F985:39CC: /* Currently Competitive */

{{Age of Sigmar Faction|Faction=Ossiarch Bonereapers|Logo=Immortis-WC2.jpg|Alliance=Death|Motto=The Skeleton War is upon us! We ride against the fuckboys!}}

Get ready to send a chill down your opponent's spine, for this is no time to be humerus. Nagash is rising, and he has a bone to pick with the Mortal Realms!

==Why play Ossiarch Bonereapers?==
* They're SPOOKY SCARY SKELETONS!
* You liked playing super-elite units like Blood Knights? Well you now play a different elite FACTION!
* You miss the Tomb Kings and this is as close as it gets for now with a vulture being called a Carrion, undead constructs and a war machine that hurls flaming skulls.
* They collect protection payments of bone like a skeletal version of the Mafia.
* Part of the reason for their existence is to troll Sigmarines.
* If you want a sneak peek at what society would be like if Nagash wins, they're a good indicator of that.
* You're sick of those magic-heavy armies like Tzeentch's forces, the Lizardmen and the Lumineth, and want to put them in their place with the Null Myriad Bonereaper Legion.

===Pros===
* [[Awesome|'''Immunity to Battleshock, baby!''']]. Not just bravery 10, the Bonereapers do not take battleshock tests. They have no guts, but they're braver than everyone else.
* Excellent at debuffing their enemies in various ways, especially their bravery (certain Bonereaper Legions, spells, Morghasts...)
* Conversely, they have numerous ways to buff themselves.
* Very durable, and various ways to boost that to the point of being arguably the most durable army in the game.
* Point-for-point, they have some of the strongest warscrolls of the game as few units can beat their ossiarch counterpart (Mortek Guard and Kavalos Deathriders are strong contenders for best battleline units in the game).
* They use the Relentless Discipline Points mechanic (also called RDP) instead of Command Points. Things that screw with CP won't work on them. Despite this, they still benefit from Command Abilities.
* They're a Death army that isn't reliant on Heroes. Unit champions have the HEKATOS keyword, which gives a smaller radius of 6+ Deathless saves and allows them to use RDP abilities. Certain elite units are also HEKATOS, so they can function completely independently.
* Almost everything is 3+ to hit, with various ways to boost it.
* With the Crematorians Bonereaper Legion, your guys can take enemies down with them when/if they're slain
* Nagash and [[Arkhan the Black|bro-tier mini-Nagash]] are part of the army roster; [[Awesome|they also benefit from keywords and Battle Traits]].
* Numerous characters and a unit that can heal anything in your army, including themselves.
* Our Endless Spells are awesome. Not only that, they're soul linked, so no friendly fire and they're always under the casting player's control.
* If you like bone puns...

===Cons===
* Most of your army is slow (though there are a few abilities to mitigate this).
* Shooting is almost non-existent. Apart from the amazing Mortek Crawler, you only have the Gothizzar Harvester's shooting and Nagash's laser eyes.
* No extra protection at all against shooting beyond certain spells. Shooting armies tend to really hurt the Ossiarchs (especially the Kharadron Overlords).
* The army's quite straightforward and lacking in useful tricks. There's no summoning, deepstrike or special combat mechanics like striking twice. Any decent opponent knows what you will do. There is a teleportation mechanic, but it's very gimmicky, limited and requires a lot of cunning to get something out of it.
* Limited means to deal Mortal Wounds. Ossiarchs tend to bounce on really armored units if stalkers aren't around. This can be mitigated with MW dealers like the Crematorians Legion and anyone with "Kavalos" in their name, but still relies a lot on the dice.
* Magic is average and mostly around buffing allies and debuffing enemies. Sure, Nagash and Arkhan are there, but the magic lore is still unimpressive, especially compared to real magical factions (looking at you, Tzeentch and Seraphon).
* Low model count, slightly mitigated by having the means to bring back (re)dead models.
* [[Fail|No allies]]; their foreign policy makes the Daughters of Khaine look like the Stormcast Eternals (can still have mercenaries though - unless you bring Nagash or Arkhan).
* Hope you like bone puns...

==Rulebooks==
{{AOSRulebooks|tome=Ossiarch Bonereapers}}

==Allegiance Abilities==
===Battle Traits===
*'''Ranks Unbroken by Dissent:''' [[Awesome|Do not take battleshock tests for friendly OSSIARCH BONEREAPER units]]. Yes, you read that right, immunity to Battleshock. Your enemy's only options are killing, flee or be killed. In addition, you do not generate Command Points. Instead, you generate Relentless Discipline Points at the start of each battle round but lose them when you generate your next batch (they should be all spent before that happens).
**Generate a Relentless Discipline Point if:
*** EACH {{AOSKeyword|Ossiarch Bonereapers Hero}} - 1
*** EACH Warscroll Battalion - 1
*** EACH Friendly {{AOSKeyword|LIEGE}} - 1
*** If KATAKROS is the general and on the battlefield - 3
*** Roll a die for each UNIT with the {{AOSKeyword|OSSIARCH BONEREAPERS}} keyword, including the previous {{AOSKeyword|HEROES}}. On a 6, you get 1.
**Unfortunately, you can't use the Generic or Scenario command abilities (rerolling Run, charge, shooting rolls) but you have a ton of CAs that will Guzzle your DP.

*'''Deathless Warriors''': It's Deathless Minions from Legions of Nagash, albeit with a rename. It allows you to ignore wounds and mortal wounds on a 6+. However, you'll be able to get more mileage out of it than other Death armies, as any unit wholly within 12" of a {{AOSKeyword|BONEREAPERS Hero}} or 6" of a Hekatos (i.e: the leader for your battlelines) count for the ability, removing the need to have your Heroes babysitting your units. Units that are {{AOSKeyword|HEKATOS}} (elite bone warriors units) always benefit from the ability, allowing them to strike out entirely unsupported.

*'''Unstoppable Advance (CA)''': In Movement Phase. Pick 1 unit within X" of a hero or hekatos. +3" movement. It can still run OR charge. You cannot pick the same unit more than once per phase.

===Command Traits===

====Liege-Kavalos====
*'''Ancient Knowledge:''' While on the battlefield, get an extra RDP at the start of the battle round.
*'''Immortal Ruler:''' Deathless Warrior trait works on a 5+ for this general. Always good.
*'''Dark Acolyte:''' Becomes a 1 cast/unbind {{AOSKeyword|WIZARD}} with one Mortisan Lore spell.
*'''Peerless Warrior:''' Melee wound rolls of 6 deal an extra mortal wound.
*'''Hatred of the Living:''' +1 to hit in melee (including their mount) against non-{{AOSKeyword|DEATH}} units.
*'''Life-stealer:''' If they kill any models in combat, heal 1d3 wounds at the end of that phase.

====Mortisan====
*'''Ancient Knowledge:''' While on the battlefield, get an extra RDP at the start of the battle round.
*'''Immortal Ruler:''' Deathless Warrior trait works on a 5+ for this general. Always good.
*'''Dire Ultimatum:''' -2 to Bravery for enemies within 12". Although it requires coordinating a couple of units, you can cause a MASSIVE debuff to enemy Bravery by combining this and the Scroll of Command (see below).
*'''Grave-sand Bones:''' Knows an extra spell from the Lore of the Mortisans.
*'''Oathbreaker Curse:''' Every time your opponent gets a CP, on a d6 roll of 6 it is lost. Obviously Katakros does it better, but this does work more than once per turn if your enemy has CP-generating abilities.
*'''Soul Energy:''' You can re-roll casting, unbinding and dispelling rolls, but whenever you do you take a mortal wound.

===Artefacts===
*'''Relics of the Kavaloi (Liege-Kavalos)'''
#'''Mind Blade:''' Pick one of bearer’s melee weapons. If unmodified hit roll is a 6, and target is a hero, opponent loses a Command Point and the hero can’t use command abilities for the rest of the battle. Apart from only working on sixes this is incredible.
#'''Lordly Phylactery:''' Once per battle start of any phase, gain D3 RD points.
#'''Scroll of Command:''' Subtract 2 Bravery from enemy units within 6” of bearer. Only really recommended if you're going for Mortis Praetorians (see their Legion description for more information). Although, a Liege-Kavalos with this, with a Mortisan general with the Dire Ultimatum command trait nearby drops enemy Bravery by a whopping -4!
#'''Grave-sand Boneplates:''' At the end of the combat phase, roll dice for each enemy unit within 3”, on a 4+ that unit suffers a mortal wound. Vies with Scroll of Command for the second best choice.
#'''Marrow Pact:''' Once per battle, in hero phase pick one enemy unit within 6” of bearer. On a 3+, unit suffers D3 mortal wounds, heal the same number of wounds.
#'''Helm of the Ordained:''' Add one to hit rolls for attacks made by {{AOSKeyword|BONEREAPERS}} units and mounts while wholly within 12” of the bearer. One of the best choices for a Liege-Kavalos if including Bonereaper Legion weapons, otherwise it's the best unless you have a very specific playstyle in mind.

*'''Tools of the Boneshaper (Boneshapers)'''
#<s>Skeleton</s> '''Artisan's key:''' Before using the bearer’s bone shaper ability, roll a dice and on a 4+ either you can pick two units instead of one, or the same unit twice within 6”. The best of the three by a narrow margin.
#'''Lode of Saturation:''' At the start of the Hero phase, choose a unit within 1”, deathless warrior battle trait on 5+ instead of 6.
#'''Crafter Gems:''' Hero phase, heal up to 3 wounds. Once the total wounds healed in the battle is 3 you cannot use it any longer.

*'''Treasures of the Soulmason (Soulmasons)'''
#'''Gothizzar Cartouche:''' +1 to melee wound rolls for units wholly within 9” of bearer if target does not have Death keyword. The best option if you're not facing {{AOSKeyword|DEATH}} armies.
#'''Soul Reservior:''' +2 to cast, but if casting roll is unmodified 10+ artifact cannot be used again.
#'''Thorne of Dzendt:''' +2 to wounds and +2 attacks for mount. A good all around choice, especially for keeping your chair bound wizard safe.

*'''Weapons of the Soulreaper (Soulreapers)'''
#'''Luminscythe:''' minus 1 for hit rolls targeting bearer. +1 casting rolls for bearer for Lore of Mortisans or warscroll spell.
#'''Vial of Binding:''' Once per battle in hero phase, pick enemy model within 12" of bearer and roll a D6. If roll is equal or greater than the wound characteristic they are slain. The best choice if you take a Soul Reaper, and the obvious choice for offensive.
#'''Guardian Reavesoul:''' Negate wound on a 5+ instead of 6+ for deathless minions. Can shatter to negate last wound if about to die. If you're not taking Vial of Binding, this is the go-to choice.

===Spell Lore===
#'''Arcane Command:''' CV5. Gain D3 Relentless Discipline Points. Nice if you've got an extra spell, or had some bad luck with your rolls.
# '''Empower Nadirite Weapons: ''' CV5. Pick 1 {{AOSKeyword|BONEREAPERS}} unit wholly within 24" and visible. Until the start of your next hero phase, the units Nadirite Weapons ability explodes on a 5+ instead of 6, or 4+ if its a {{AOSKeyword|DEATHRIDERS}} attacking with spears after charging.
# '''Protection of Nagash: ''' CV6. 5+ FNP for the caster. If any wounds get through your FNP, and the caster isn't slain, remove them from the battlefield after all wounds have been allocated, and place them anywhere on the board 9" away from enemy models then dispel this spell. Great for getting important casters out of sticky situations, or absolutely hilarious on Nagash if you wanna fuck with your opponent.
# '''Reinforce Battle-shields: ''' CV6. Pick 1 {{AOSKeyword|BONEREAPERS}} unit armed with Shields or Nadirite Battle-shields wholly within 24" and visible. Until the start of your next hero phase, they gain a 5+ FNP but only for mortal wounds. Pair this with a gothizzar harvester, the reroll saves command ability for some truly unkillable troops.
# '''Drain Vitality: ''' CV6. Pick 1 enemy unit within 18" and visible. Until your next hero phase, reroll unmodified hit and save rolls of 6 made by that unit. Good for blunting a spooky unit's charge, but less useful than the other options available.
# '''Mortal Contract: ''' CV7. Pick 1 enemy unit within 18" and visible. For the rest of the '''BATTLE''', roll a die at the end of any phase that the unit dealt damage to a friendly {{AOSKeyword|BONEREAPERS}} unit (but only if it was with an attack). On 3+, the cursed unit suffers D3 mortal wounds. Lawdy, this is probably the most obnoxious spell we can sling, if you can remember who you marked the entire game. Great into low unit-count armies.

===Endless Spells===

An important distinction to note between these Endless Spells and others that exist is that the ones presented below have the '''Soul-Linked''' ability, meaning they always move before Endless Spells without the Soul-Linked ability and are controlled by the casting Player only, meaning your opponent cannot control these Endless Spells to mess with your plans. However on the flip side, the Wizard who cast the spell has a -1 to his casting rolls and cannot cast anymore soul-linked spells while their soul-linked endless spell is up. If the caster dies then the soul-linked spell is also dispelled, so keep him alive if you want the spells to last.

*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls//aos-warscroll-Bone-tithe-Shrieker-en.pdf Bone-tithe Shrieker]''': Gives -1 bravery, and +1 to be hit to enemy units within 12" of it. Simple, but effective. Place it just in front of your battle line to make the enemy think twice, or use it to make holding an objective less than desirable.
*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls//aos-warscroll-Soulstealer-Carrion-en.pdf Soulstealer Carrion]''': Gives LOS to the Soul-Linked wizard. You won't be taking it for this. Instead, you'll be taking it for it's actual ability: Soul Thief. Roll a D6 at the end of each Phase if any Chaos, Order, or Destruction models were slain within 6" of it. On a 1 or 2, the Wizard this Endless Spell is Soul-Linked with heals a wound. On a 3 or 4, it does 1 Mortal Wound on each Chaos, Destruction or Order unit within 6" of it, and on a 5-6, it does both effects. AMAZINGLY fun, if you're not playing into Death, so do with that as you will.

*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls//aos-warscroll-Nightmare-Predator-en.pdf The Nightmare Predator]''': Your standard causes Mortal Wounds Endless Spell (dealing D3 Mortal Wounds to all non-bonecasts within 3" of it), but with a twist - when cast, pick an enemy Hero to be marked as it's prey. If this spell gets within range of them, it spits out d6 mortal wounds instead. For it's dirt cheap point cost, this is almost auto-include.

==Famous Legions==
<big>Mortis Praetorians</big>
*'''Battle Traits''': '''The Dread Legion''':-1 bravery to enemy units within 12".
*'''Command Trait''': '''Katakros' Chosen''': Once per battle if the general is on the Battlefield, gain D3 RDP points.
*'''Command Ability''': '''Counter-strike''': Pick a friendly unit within 6" of a HEKATOS or 12" of a HERO. If charged, they can re-roll hits.
*'''Artefact of Power''': '''Artificer's Blade''': Pick one of the bearer's melee weapons. It has -3 Rend.
The poster boys, the jack-of-all-trades and the best choice if you’re bringing Katakros, otherwise it's quite situational since other death armies capitalize on "fear-bombing" more effectively (looking at you, Legions of Grief and Blood).

<big>Petrifex Elite</big>
*'''Battle Traits''': '''Unstoppable Juggernauts''': As of the FAQ, they re-roll save rolls of 1 in melee.
*'''Command Trait''': '''Mighty Archaeossian''': +2 Wounds.
*'''Command Ability''': '''Bludgeon''': In the combat phase, give a unit +1 rend on one weapon, can't stack.
*'''Artefact of Power''': '''Godbone Armor''': The first wound allocated to the bearer in each '''phase''' is negated.
Makes your entire army (including Nagash) overall more tanky, gives your commander a few extra wounds for a chuckle, lets you put some durability on a caster via the relic (especially useful if you're bringing some Endless Spells), AND comes with a command ability that makes you killy, just to throw your opponent for a loop. Pre-nerf it added +1 to everyone's armor save and was THE choice of Bonereaper Legion. Now it's decent but no longer the one best choice.

<big>Null Myriad</big>
*'''Battle Traits''': '''Eldritch Nulls''': Ignore the effects of spells on a 5+.
*'''Command Trait''': '''Unsettling and Sinister''': -1 to Bravery in 3", and -1 to be hit during combat phase.
*'''Command Ability''': '''Holdfast''': Make the battle trait work on a 2+ instead of 5+.
*'''Artefact of Power''': '''Baleful Blade''': Pick 1 of the bearer's weapons. [[Awesome|Saves can't be made against attacks from this weapon and wounds can't be negated]] (though they can later be healed).
The magic choice. Their innate rules mean you can focus more on offensive magic, and the Artefact is perfect for any combat character... but is obviously best on a Liege-Kavalos. One of the best choices, but if your meta is very magic heavy this is clearly the best. Make those six hallowheart battlemages cry because they can do nothing to you (and then notice that you can't probably do much to them either, so the battle is probably a void of winds of magic).

<big>Ivory Host</big>
*'''Battle Traits''': At the start of each combat phase, any IVORY HOST unit within 6" of an IVORY HOST model that is wounded is subject to rage for that phase. While subject to rage, get +1 to hit, but -1 save. Dependent on having damaged multi-wound models nearby and can potentially really mess your own forces up, but can lead to you hitting very hard. Fortunately, as it's only for the combat phase, you don't have to worry about it when you're being shot at.
*'''Command Trait''': Every hero phase your general gains 1 attack for all his melee weapons on a 5+. Best to have a Liege-Kavalos as your general for this.
*'''Command Ability''': Cancel the -1 save from the battle trait. This is what makes the Ivory host interesting, letting you pull some shenanigans with a screen unit or pulling some clutch damage out at a vital time.
*'''Artefact of Power''': '''Beastbound Blade''': One of the bearer's melee weapons gets +1 attack.
The combat choice, though dependent on good dice rolls, positioning and carefully picking your fights. Decent, but there are better options.

<big>Stalliarch Lords</big>
*'''Battle Traits''': Run and charge. Pretty good for increasing your threat range on a slow army.
*'''Command Trait''': Pick an enemy hero within 3" at the start of the combat phase. Gain +1 to hit against it but -1 to anything else. Pretty situational and lackluster.
*'''Command Ability''': Retreat and charge in the same turn. Good for repositioning or getting your charge bonuses again. Here's looking at you, Deathriders.
*'''Artefact of Power''': '''Nadir-Bound Mount''': Can only be taken by a Liege-Kavalos. They roll D3 additional dice for their Unstoppable Charge ability.
The speedy and somewhat trollish choice. Do you wanna go fast? Do you want a liege or Zandtos to run fast next to fast cavalry? Or if you take a Liege make them hit like a ton of bricks? Then go these guys. They let you skimp out of the costly battalion with their inherent command ability, and make your already fast cavalry even faster. They even pair well with Stalkers, Morghast Harbingers or Harvesters, to just really irritate your opponent.

<big>Crematorians</big>
*'''Battle Traits''': '''Immolation''': When a model dies you get a chance to cause MW to an enemy within 3" on a 5+, with monsters and characters adding 1 to their roll/going off on a 4+.
*'''Command Trait''': '''Wrathful Avenger''': If the general dies, add 2 to the dice roll for Immolation and it does D3 Mortal Wounds rather than 1.
*'''Command Ability''': '''Levelers of Cities''': One friendly CREMATORIANS unit with 6" of a Hekatros or 12" of a hero ignores cover saves.
*'''Artefact of Power''': '''Searing Blade''': Pick one of the bearer's melee weapons and add 1 to the Damage characteristic.
The TRUE trolling choice. Paired with some revives and harvesters, and laugh as your opponent realizes that killing your models meant their guys died and then revived the dudes they just tried to kill, rinse and repeat.

==Warscrolls==
The common keywords of these warscrolls are: '''DEATH''', '''OSSIARCH BONEREAPERS'''

===Leaders===
====Named Leaders====
*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls//aos-warscroll-Katakros-Mortarch-of-the-Necropolis-en.pdf Orpheon Katakros, Mortarch of the Necropolis]''': (500pts) Like Skarbrand, his attacks get stronger the more wounds he takes. Katakros himself has [[Awesome|Rend and Damage 3]] and he can bop foes with his shield to dole out Mortal Wounds, so he can dish out some hurt in combat, but not until he's taken some wounds representing his companions dying so Katakros himself joins the fray. However, he is one of the slowest characters in the game - 4" move (which doesn’t much matter when he’s on a '''12 centimetre''' base, and you can use the Relentless Advance to make Katakros move 7") and can't fly, but Mortarch of Necropolis allows Katakros to heal up to three friendly OBR units wholly within 24" of his model for 3 wounds worth on your hero phase. Katakros is a friendly OBR unit within 24" of himself, so he can choose to heal himself for 3 wounds every one of your hero phases. Because he is so slow, he hates cannons even more than his boss so engage shooty armies at your own risk. He's pricey in points and cash, but you get what you pay for - no more no less - as he's a good beatstick and support character, just don't try to send him up against other super combat lords who have a damage of 3 or better because he can easily get his shit kicked in, especially if they're wearing the Ethereal Amulet or have some serious wound negation. If your opponent is fielding a character with either (or worse, both) then make sure to screen him out. It's better to not get him in combat and keep your Relentless Discipline points, heals and Command Point sabotage than it is for you to possibly lose all of those.
*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls//aos-warscroll-Nagash-Supreme-Lord-of-the-Undead-en.pdf Nagash, Supreme Lord of the Undead]''': (880pts) Changed from his early forms, Nagash is now 30 points more expensive, and no longer loots the spells from all of his Death-based allies. (but he does know the whole spell lore by default.) Instead, he can now restore wounds/models to 5 of his Bonecast Eternals, and can sling Mystic Shield and Arcane Bolt as much as his undead heart (and casting limit) desire.
**As Nagash and Arkhan gain the OSSIARCH BONEREAPERS keyword, they can heal themselves, making them quite a bit more resilient in an OBR army than when accompanying their own legions. Go figure.
*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls//aos-warscroll-Arkhan-the-Black-Mortarch-of-Sacrament-en.pdf Arkhan the Black, Mortarch of Sacrament]''': (360pts) Much like Nagash, Arkhan is more expensive now, at a "whopping" 20 points more than before. With an extra cast and deny, and the ability to sling Arcane Bolt and Mystic Shield like his Boss, (along with learning the whole spell lore,) it sounds like that price increase came with some buffs. However, overall Arkhan's in a slightly more disappointing place. Curse of Years no longer succeeds on 1s, meaning it's slightly more fair, and his command ability has now been limited to one use a turn, spoiling an awful lot of fun that could have been had.

*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls//aos-warscroll-Arch-Kavalos-Zandtos-en.pdf Arch-Kavalos Patru Zandtos]''': (220pts) A named Mortis Praetorians Liego-Kavalos, with additional abilities like more damage on the charge, rerolls to wound, and another CA that grants a Praetorians unit the same reroll ability. A good choice for leader - practically an auto-take if you want a Liege-Kavalos in Mortis Praetorians, unless you have a specific Legion or combo in mind.

*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls//aos-warscroll-Volkmortian-Master-of-the-Bone-tithe-en.pdf Vokmortion, Master of the Bone-tithe]''': (180pts) He is a Wizard that should be very close to the front lines. He has a chance to prevent a model within 3" from attacking him on a 5+ as a defense. He also has a 12" aura of -1 to bravery and -1 to any Wizard attempting to unbind any spell he casts (which improves in that rare instance an enemy General dies near him). His Unique spell can instantly kill any model within 1" of him on a 5+, and the range on it cannot be modified, which can be used to punish any foolish combat heroes or big monsters he ends up fighting - though it is a bit unreliable to make him a dedicated assassin. Overall, he should be standing behind your troops (ideally Immortis Guard or Mortek Guard), providing the debuff and using his 2 spells per turn.

====Generic Leaders====
*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls//aos-warscroll-Liege-Kavalso-en.pdf Liege-Kavalos]''': (200pts) Your commander on a big-boned mount that gives two guaranteed Relentless Discipline points. Lots of decent attacks, but nothing too nutty. When he charges he has an increased pile in and the ability to fling out some extra mortal wounds. His Command Ability gives a unit wholly within 12" +1 attack. He probably functions best running with some deathriders for a spoopy cavalry wing, though having him roam around your anvils can make for some good time damage output.

*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls//aos-warscroll-Mortisan-Soulreaper-en.pdf Mortisan Soulreaper]''': (120pts) Our CC battlemage, though with his weapon the most he'll be reaping is chaff mobs. His unique spell lets him smack one unit at range, or every unit in CC with him with a few mortal wounds. Probably our worst unit, as outside of his spell-slinging, he's basically a really expensive cairn wraith from nighthaunt. Look elsewhere, unless you really love his amazing model.

*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls//aos-warscroll-Mortisan-Boneshaper-en.pdf Mortisan Boneshaper]''': (130pts) Probably your most included HQ, and part of the <s>glue that holds your army together</s> calcium that strengthens your bone boys. With the ability to restore 3 wounds (or 3 wounds worth of boys (raise 3 Mortek Guard, or 1 Kavalos Deathriders everything else has 4+ wounds)) to a friendly squad and sling a few spells, he feels close to auto-include, especially if you left Nagash or Arkhan at home. His unique spell lets him fling [[Awesome|BONESTORM!]] at an enemy unit, roll for each model within 18" and every 6 deals a mortal wound, a nice anti-horde spell being easy to cast on 5. Keep him out of combat and out of LoS so he can spend your whole game building bonecasts in a dark corner away from anyone else.
** Boneshapers and Immortis Guard are a good match, as they can take wounds for him and he can heal them if they take too many hits.

*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls//aos-warscroll-Mortisan-Soulmason-en.pdf Mortisan Soulmason]''': (140pts) The grand vizier will see you now. He's got a passable melee profile, but that's not why you take him. He's a wizard with 2 casts and unbinds and a unique spell, Soul-Guide, that gives a friendly Ossiarch Bonereapers unit the ability to reroll 1's to hit. Pretty good so far, but it gets better. At the end of your hero phase, on a 2+ cast Soul-Guide more times even if it was already attempted that turn. Basically, bring him when you're spamming catapults (or anything, really) and spread the re-rolling to hit love.
** For extra fun, his potential multiple casts force the enemy to consider whether to unbind these spells or other spells.

===Battleline===
*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls//aos-warscroll-Mortek-Guard-en.pdf Mortek Guard]''': (Battleline, 130/440pts, Min:10, Max:40) Your basic skellies are a decently-protected lot with a 4+ save. Their basic weapons are 2 attacks with -1 Rend sword or a spear, both can double the hits inflicted on a 6+ to hit. The greatblade, on the other hand, trades that for a slightly better wound score, which isn't remarkable but at least keeps the sword's Rend. Their slow speed is helped by their banner giving them +1 to runs and charges, and the +3" move order mentioned above. A good choice for loadout is sword for smaller units and spears for bigger units.
**'''Mortek Hekatos''': This boy is a mini-HQ that gives to your Relentless Discipline pool and keys to a lot of other things. (in big units you have to pack a lot of models very close together to have Deathless Warriors). He's only got an attack more than the base guard, but he also confers a command ability that lets his pack re-roll all saves for the combat phase - much more valuable for their survival.
** With the Petrifex Elite, you can take the spears and use the Petrifex command ability to give them rend, just save the spears for larger units of Mortek Guard.

*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls//aos-warscroll-Kavalos-Deathriders-en.pdf Kavalos Deathriders]''': (Battleline, 180/460pts, Min:5, Max:15) Your basic skellies, but on a horse! When compared to their foot-slogging brothers, these guys have +1 attack and 3 wounds each, the 2 extra pony swings we all know and love (actually, even their horses are on steroids, wounding on a 3+), and a whopping 12" move compared to the former's 4". Not only that, but their spears have exploding hits on a 5+ roll on the charge, giving you a bit more reason to consider selling the rend on your swords.
**'''Mortek Hekatos''': Much like the Mortek Guard, the Deathrider's hekatos has +1 attack with their weapon, but his command ability gives you some mortal wound output on the charge and a double-range pile in. FAQ'd to confirm a unit can only benefit from this once per phase.

===Hekatos===
*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls//aos-warscroll-Necropolis-Stalkers-en.pdf Necropolis Stalkers]''': (180pts, Min:3, Max:6) Speedy, Re-rolling, <s>tyranid warriors </s> skeleton boys. Each turn, these massive lads pick whether they want to re-roll hits, wounds, saves, or add +1 to their weapons' Rend and Damage. While rerolling saves is nice when you get charged by something scary, you'll almost always use +1 rend and damage, as it turns your basic stalker into a stormcast blender, and your unit leader <s>into a literal monster</s> into an equally strong blender as the normal weapons, when enhanced with -1 rend and +1 dmg, are actually stronger than the special weapon, proven by Mathhammer. Their command ability that lets them re-roll run and charge rolls while also ignoring terrain as if they could fly.
** Another option is to run them with a Soulmason equipped with the Gothizzar Cartouche in support which gives +1 to wound rolls. Now, assuming you also have Katakros on the board and you can get Soul-Guide onto your Stalkers then the best Aspect to run is the Destroyer Aspect because this combo would then mean your hitting on 2's and re-rolling 1's '''AND''' wounding on 2's (with spirit blades)
** Upon testing with Mathhammer, in this precise scenario, precision still pulls far ahead if you take 3 of the normal weapons and give them all of these buffs. There is around an average damage difference of 5 per round.
*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls//aos-warscroll-Immortis-Guard-en.pdf Immortis Guard]''': (180pts, Min:3, Max:12)The Anvil to the stalker's hammer. These guys have a lower damage output, with 2 3+/3+/-2/2 damage (though the base rend 2 is nice), and the ability to bop someone with their shields for a bit of extra damage, with the occasional mortal wound when rolling a 6. Their main draw, however, is their base 3+ save and bodyguard ability. Whenever they're within 3" of a friendly hero, on a 2+ they must eat a wound or mortal wound that would have been applied to said hero. Their command ability lets them immediately pile in and swing again after their first go, but only with their shields. Less than impressive, but nice for positioning. Having two weapons means they get more out of the Liege's extra attack command ability, and with their own on top of that the mortal wounds do become bit more reliable.
*'''Morghasts [https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls//aos-warscroll-Morghast-Archai-en.pdf Archai] & [https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls//aos-warscroll-Morghast-Harbingers-en.pdf Harbingers]''': (190pts, Min:2, Max:6) Nagash's angels of death come in 2 flavors, with the archai having a chance to shrug off mortal wounds, and harbingers getting a 3d6 charge. Beyond those differences either one is monstrous combatants, and tough to boot, with 6 wounds 4+ armor and being Hekatos for the death save. They also have a bravery debuff as a bonus. You should always take the halberd for 3 attacks at 3+/3+/-2/3, as they will only do less damage against units with a 6+ save, shown by Mathhammer. You don't want your Morghasts engaging Chaff, as they aren't meant to be wiping chaff for you. Additionally, adding attacks to the Halberd from your Liege is much stronger than doing so to your swords.
** See the above option for Stalkers and apply to Morghasts - you'll lose out on the re-rolling wounds but up the rend to -2 and the damage to 3 (with halberds) so the Mathammer will result in more wounds on average (even if you run swords) - only real issue with this is keep up with the Morghasts on your bone throne.
** Following the Petrifex nerf, these guys just got a bit more viable. They mesh well with quite a few Legions (the Archai save against spells compliments Null Myriad spell nullifying, the Harbingers compliment the Stalliarch rules - and they're probably our best unit against the Kharadron Overlords and more).

===Behemoths===
*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls//aos-warscroll-Gothizzar-Harvester-en.pdf Gothizzar Harvester]''': (200pts, Behemoth) Big guy has 10 wounds and a 4+ save. Has good damage potential with 4 solid ranged attacks and a BUNCH of 2 damage melee swings, with a choice between bludgeons or sickles. These weapons have the exact same melee stats, but different effects. Bludgeons do 2 mortal wounds on unmodified hits of 6 instead of normal damage, (basically giving the guy a Nighthaunt's frightful touch) while the sickles get +1 to hit against units with 5+ models. The Bludgeons are the better choice, as there are other ways to boost hit rolls and Mortal Wounds are useful whoever you're up against. More importantly than that, this guy is a <s>another source of precious calcium</s> healer. Each time any models (friend or foe) die within 3" of him, he can heal an Ossiarch Bonereaper unit within 6" on a 4+. The heals he gives depends on the wounds characteristic of the model slain. It's worth noting he can do this to himself, making his relatively fragile 10 wounds and 4+ save last a little longer.
**For the Crematorians, this guy makes the list even more trollish. Camp him by your Mortek Guard, and when they die and cause mortal wounds, he can heal them right back up. Free mortal wounds, anyone?
*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls//aos-warscroll-Mortek-Crawler-en.pdf Mortek Crawler]''': (200pts, Artillery, Behemoth) The most trolltastic catapult in all of AoS. With a nice 36" range and solid durability, it starts as a remarkably strong springboard for the absolute terror of its ammo types. Once per battle, you can fire a different choice of ammo from two different options and their effects are trolltastically memeable.
**Necrotic Skulls: Your normal shots. You're getting a pretty hefty 3 2+/3+/-/variable shots that start at 5 damage, and dips down to 1 as the model takes damage. Good as a general all-rounder, but pales in comparison to what follows.
***Just to reiterate however: 3 shots at 5 damage initially. Although lack of rend hurts, this is a horde killing volley beyond compare, particularly as their hit and wound rolls are so good.
**Cauldron of Torment: the first of the meme shots. Instead of firing like normal, you roll a dice for every model in the target unit, and whenever you meet or beat their '''UNMODIFIED''' Bravery, one model is slain. "But Anon," you reply, "lots of units have high Bravery! That's not good," To which I say, sure, you're right. this isn't good against undead, Stormcast, or Chaos, but do you know what it IS good against? grots, where you wipe half of whatever squad you fire at. Or freeguild, where you gun down a third of whatever unit you want in a ghostly fog. And we're STILL not done with this bad boy.
**Cursed Stele: Does your local meta not really do hordes? Or do they just love low model-count armies with high leadership? Well, have I got a unit for you! Instead of shooting normally, pick a model within range (so, characters, banners, unit leaders, etc.) and roll 2d6. If you roll equal to or higher than their wound stat, the guy dies (with some modifiers, starting at -3 to your roll, slowly turning to +3 as you lose wounds). This right here is disgusting. With an average roll of 4, you kill support heroes about 60% of the time or get to guaranteed snipe off important banners or unit champions whenever you're feeling cheeky. Did that daemon prince swoop in and drop you to 1 wound? Wouldn't it be great if his failure meant your average roll is now a 10 and insta-gibs the winged sexy, sexy biscuit daemon? (Lovely to consider, but the 6" minimum range on the Crawler's attacks means if it's in melee it's been neutered - protect at all costs!)

===Scenery===
*'''Bone-tithe Nexus''': (0pts) Your mandatory accompanying setpiece is a giant monolith surrounded by bones upon bones. In truth it acts more like a sentry that can chuck out one of four different Punishments each turn: -1 to hit, MW Sniping, causes problem for a wizard, or Can't run and only roll 1d6 for charges. The physical footprint of this thing is BIG. You're supposed to place the terrain before defining and placing any of the game's (neutral) terrain. Placing the damn thing can therefore be problematic in organized events, where terrain is pre-set before the game starts.

==Battalions==
<big>'''Ossiarch Cohort'''</big> 100 pts (min points: '''4450''')
''Katakros, Zandtos or Liege Kavalos, 1-3 Mortek Shield-Corps, 1-3 Kavalos Lances, 1 Mortisian Trident, 1-2 Katakrosian Deathglaives, 1 Aegis Immortal, 1 Mortek Ballistari''
* The Super Battalion.
For putting together all that dough together your general generates 1d3 additional RDPs at the beginning of your hero phase.

<big>'''Aegis Immortal'''</big> 80 pts (min points: '''690''')
''1 Archai, 2 Immortis.''
The ARCHAI from this battalion has the SOULBOUND PROTECTORS ability from the Immortis Guard warscroll. In addition, if you use the SOULBOUND PROTECTORS and the roll is a 5+, the wound/MW is negated instead of allocated to a unit from this battalion. Take with Petrifex Elite to make your characters near unkillable. Solid choice, pun intended, the only drawback is if you want a more offensive playstyle since this is defensive-based.

<big>'''Katakrosian Deathglaive'''</big> 80 pts (min points: '''690''')
''2 Stalkers, 1 Morghast Harbinger''
After units are set up but before the first battleround, if all units from the btn are WHOLLY WITHIN 12" of the Harbingers, you can move any of them up to 6" The best name for a Battalion in all of AoS. Useful for strategic positioning and claiming objectives, it's a decent choice. One foe it does help against is Kharadron Overlords, positioning your Morghasts and Stalkers to better catch their fliers.

<big>'''Kavalos Lance'''</big> 120 pts (min points: '''680''')
''Arch-Kavalos OR 1 Liege-Kavalos, 2 Kavalos Deathriders.''
Units from this battalion can retreat and charge if wholly within 12" of the Liege when the charge roll is made. In addition, once per turn, you can use the Deathrider Wedge CA for a unit from this battalion without spending RDP. Pretty good, especially if you bring a spellcaster with Empower Nadirite Weapons, more so if you're running Petrifex to give the weapons extra rend. Just remember it's a waste of points if you're using the Stalliarch Lords legion because they do this but better and for free.

<big>'''Mortek Ballistari'''</big> 100 pts (min points: '''760''')
''1 Boneshaper, 1 Mortek Guard, 2 Crawlers.''
Roll a die before you allocate a wound/MW to a Crawler from this btn while it is within 3" of the Mortek Guard unit from the same btn. Add 2 if the Crawler is within 3" of the Boneshaper from the same btn. On a 4+, it is instead allocated to the GUARD instead of the CRAWLER.

<big>'''Mortek Shield-corps'''</big> 120 pts (min points: '''630''')
''Either Volkmortian, a Boneshaper, a Soulreaper OR a Soulmason, and 3 Mortek Guard.''
Once per turn, you can use Shieldwall for one unit in the battalion without spending RDP. The cheapest option, and a decent choice, making your Mortek Guard that much more durable and freeing RDP to be spent elsewhere. Petrifex Mortek Guard will be even tougher with a free re-roll, and it's a good safety net if a unit loses their Hekatos.

<big>'''Mortisan Trident'''</big> 110 pts (min points: '''700''')
''1 Boneshaper, 1 Soulreaper, 1 Soulmason, 1 Harvester.''
EACH Mortisan from this battalion can attempt to cast 1 extra spell if WITHIN 18" of the harvester AND the harvester is within 3" of any enemy units.

<big> '''Volkmortian’s Retinue''' </big> 120 pts (min points: '''840''')
''Volkmortian, 1 Mortek Guard, 1 Stalker, and 1 Archai.''
The exclusive battalion from Feast of Bones. At the start of your hero phase, you can return 1 slain model to a unit within 8 inches of Morty.
This battalion, and it's older dreadier brother, is the armies only reliable method of bringing back dead Stalkers and Archai.

<big> '''Volkmortian’s Dread Retinue''' </big> 130 pts (min points: '''850''')
''Volkmortian, 1-3 Mortek Guard, 1 Stalker, and 1-2 Archai or Harbingers, in any configuration.''
One of the battalions from May 2020's issue of White Dwarf. This battalion must be taken with the Mortis Praetorians legion. Comes with the same ability as Vokmortain's Retinue, but also gives you a start of game ability to hurt the chances of a single enemy hero hitting Vokmortian. Because you can take Harbingers instead of Archai with this battalion, which opens up returning Morghast Harbingers to play, this battalion is much better than the regular Retinue. The restriction on legion means that, of course, this cannot really be considered competitive at this time.

<big> '''Harvester Scythe Corps''' </big> 100 pts (min points: '''660''')
''2 Kavalos Deathriders and 1 Gothizzar Harvester.''
One of the battalions from May 2020's issue of White Dwarf. This battalion must be taken with the Mortis Praetorians legion. Battalion lets you add one to wound rolls for the Harvester if within 12 of the dead ponies. Decent if you need to generate the RDP and the artefact, but if you are taking a pair of Deathriders, you might as well be taking a Liege and going for the Kavalos Lance battalion, which also doesn't restrict you out of the better legions.

<big> '''Vokmortian's Tithe Legion''' </big> 110 pts (min points: '''5640''')
''This list of other battalions: 1 Vokmortian's Dread Retinue, 1-3 Mortek Shield Corps, 1 Mortisan Trident, 1-2 Katakrosian Deathglaives, 1 Aegis Immortal, 1-3 Kavalos Lances or Harvester Scythe Corps in any configuration, 1 Mortek Ballistari, 1 Harvester Scythe Corps.''
One of the battalions from May 2020's issue of White Dwarf. This battalion must be taken with the Mortis Praetorians legion.
The boring part of this battalion is that you probably won't ever get to field it, and even if you do, the abilities from it aren't the best. You get to generate an additional D3 RDP per hero phase, and you get to take '''any number of''' Nighthaunt allies, without them counting against ally rules. Super battalions are fun, but this one means that outside of the nearly 6k points you have to spend on it, you also need Nighthaunt to make use of it. It's a good goal for a collection, though.

==Army Building==
=== Getting Started ===
When getting started with the Ossiarch Bonereapers, it's important that you understand the direction you want to take your list in. If you are going for competitive, you're going to be making the most out of Mortek Guard, while if you are going for fun and cool, you have a lot of fun and cool options.

If new to the game, look out for a Feast of Bones set half, as it can be a great start to your Ossiarch Army. Another way to start would be with a box of Mortek Guard and a Liege Kavalos, as this gives you a little bit less than a Start Collecting worth of points, but a lot of cool units to start working on.

=== Currently Competitive ===

The best lists right now center around the fact that Mortek Guard units are incredibly over-statted for their points cost.

==== Heroes ====

A Petrifex-aligned Liege-Kavalos is a mainstay in the General position, as the Mighty Croissant command trait and Godbone Armor artefact make it a 9 wound, ignoring first wounds of every phase monster, along with the extra RDP generation for being a liege, and Mystic Shield making the Liege basically indestructible, as Nagash would have wanted. The other best hero seems to be the Soulmason, as it has great casting for the points, and really fills out the support role of your army.

You can also build Nagash or Arkhan centric lists, and those typically look like Nagash/Arkhan + 40 blobs of guard and a support unit or two.

==== Battleline ====

Mortek Guard, usually a pair of 2 40 blobs are great. Then, fill out the battleline with some of those dead ponies. Seriously, Mortek Guard are only 130 points right now, can be given exploding 5+s and additional rend.

==== Other Models ====

Gothizzar harvesters can be run as a one of per blob of Guard you manage to field. This means that your Mortek Guard is going to have a 4+/6+/4+ save, which is equal to about a 13.88% (or a "1.25+" save equivalent) chance to wound. Per model. That's like having a 0.83+ save.

Mortek Crawlers can be utilized to constantly rampage as your large blobs of guard gum up the board, create incredibly tough tar pits, and slow down enemy units. Another benefit is that if a cheap unit is used by your opponent to attempt to capture an objective, you might be able to wipe it out before it gains any points if you notice it soon enough and identify that part of your opponent's game plan.

==== Spells ====

There are several good spells that you can take, although overall the spell lore is kind of boring. Empower Nadirite Weapons is the best spell in the lore, mainly because most lists are running blobs of 40 Mortek Guard and the spell makes them table. Arcane Command can be taken on a second support wizard, as can Mortal Contract, depending on who you think you might be facing. Reinforce shield walls can also be a decent spell, especially if you are combining several layers of saves to make Mortek Guard the ultimate pit of bone.

==== Using Battalions ====

Because of the ability to increase RDP generation, there are some ways you can use cheap battalions to increase the amount of RDP you have, and lower the amount you need for specific units. One of the best and cheapest battalions is the Mortek Shield Corps battalion, which requires one of your 3 Mortisans or Vokmortian and 3 units of 10 Mortek Guard, allowing you to use one of the CAs on the Mortek Guard for free, once per turn. It also presents you with an additional RDP per turn. The shield wall ability allows you to reroll saves, which means that your 3+/6+ save (for Petrifex elite) turns into a 3+/3+/6+ save. Now, add in one of those Harvesters, meaning that you have a 3+/3+/4+/6+ save, or a 4.63% chance to fail incoming non-rend armor saves. That means that for every 20 armor saves, less than one should convert to a wound.

The Kavalos Lance battalion makes use of a pair of the fantastically modelled (by Nagash or GW) Kavalos Deathriders, and a Liege Kavalos. This battalion allows you to make up some of the difficulties of movement that the Ossiarch are presented with, and the additional RDP are always great for the +3" movement.

Another interesting battalion to consider taking is the Mortisan Trident Battalion, which would be how you go about building a strong Magical Ossiarch Bonereapers army. With the current state of Tzeentch, however, this army might be a bit rough to play. This battalion requires you to take all three Mortisans, as well as a Harvester, allowing you additional spell casts, when close to the harvester. That battalion and an Arkhan would allow you some crazy amounts of spells, and if you can take full advantage of that, you might end up thrashing a lot of armies that can't deal with heavy spell usage. Sadly, a lot of your spells work much better when you have a lot of your points in Mortek Guard, who are core to any army you create.

Other battalions can be taken solely for RDP generation and the artefacts you can take, seeing as your first artefact will generally have to be the Petrifex Elite artefact, Godbone Armor. Both Boneshapers and Soulmasons have decent "tools" for their artefacts, but they are not necessary, so don't feel forced to take a battalion for some bad models.

==Tactics==

===Mr. Arkhan’s Wild Ride===
Take Arkhan the Black as your general, along with two Gothizzar Harvesters and a buttload of Mortek Guard. Finally put them all under the Crematorians legion. Your boney boys will proceed to explode in the faces of the enemy and then be brought back to un-life from the ashes thanks to the Mortarch and Harvesters’ restoration abilities. Is this trolling? Yes. Is it fun? ''Oh yes.'' Also take a Mortisan Boneshaper as a cherry on top for extra heals and bring an Endless Spell or two; cast with Arkhan to laugh off that casting penalty.
* Nerfed slightly in December 2019 Errata. Now Gothizzar Harvester ability only triggers "each time a model is slain within 3" of any models with this ability." No double dipping on the Gothizzar heals anymore by choosing to remove a model within 3" of both. Personally, I'd say this is a good thing since this formation would be pretty much unbeatable without enough ranged firepower/artillery to snipe the 10 wound Gothizzars out of the Mortek blob (and in a single shooting phase to prevent 6 wound auto-heal from Arkhan and the Boneshaper).

===Trolling with Catapults===
Take a Soulmason as your general and put him in a massive blob of 60 Mortek Guard with 4 Mortek Crawlers behind. With some amazing dice rolls (which can be helped by using the Soul Resevoir artefact) the Soulmason can give all 4 Crawlers rerollable hits of 1. The Guard can block any incoming attackers whilst the catapults bombard your enemies from across the table. Even if your skellie dudes are taken out and the enemy damages your Centipedes of Doom it just means that their characters are more likely to be decimated by the most trolling shot in AoS, the Cursed Stele. So just sit back, relax and watch your enemies die before they even reach you.

Alternatively, take 2 of Ballistari battalions. Lose the Soulmason but gain some mad defenses.

=== Feast of Bones upgrades ===

If you started with the Feast of Bones kit, there are several ways to build the army. The first is the (maybe subjectively) best, which is to go with the Rule of Cool - buy the cool models. Run 3x10 Mortek Guard to get Battleline out of the way, and then take advantage of how cool Morghasts are to scare your opponents.

Starting with Vokmortian, 10x Mortek Guard, 3x Necopolis Stalkers, and 2x Morghasts, and the Vokmortian's Retinue battalion, you can instead use the Dread Retinue Battalion, to use Morghast Harbingers instead of Archai. Or, get a second unit of Stalkers and create the objectively coolest battalion, the Katakrosian Deathglaive. Add in some more guard or Kavalos Deathriders, and whatever else you want that you like. That's it. It's the rule of cool. With Morghasts - the coolest rule of cool unit.

The other way is to move to a more competitive list, but sadly, the Feast of Bones units aren't great. Vokmortian is pretty bad, as are Morghasts, relative to what is offered in the army, although they can be used as a tool. You can run Vokmortian as a Boneshaper, especially if you figure out a cool conversion for it. Then, add in a Soulmason and another support HQ or Liege, and a lot of Mortek Guard. Add in a few Gothizzar Harvesters and/or Crawlers, and you have the fundamentals to a competitive list.

==Allied Armies==
No Allies. Nope, none. Nighthaunt hate your guts. Legions of Nagash hate your attitude. Not even the Flesh Eater Courts is crazy enough to be your friend. Don't like it? Go play Stormcast, and go fuck yourself while you're at it.

There is...one however...

*'''Big Drogg Fort-Kicka''': A Gatebreaker Mega-Gargant available to all Death factions as an ally. Functions like Gotrek in the Order factions where he uses up your whole allies allowance in exchange for a very destructive monster of a unit. His most important feature is the ability to destroy terrain, including faction terrain. He also has a unique breath attack that attacks one unit within 3" at the end of the combat phase; roll a dice for each model in the unit and deal 1MW on a 6+.

{{Age_of_Sigmar_Tactics}}

Age of Sigmar/Tactics/Death/Flesh-Eater Courts

2020-10-26T13:40:26Z

2406:3400:20F:FFC0:1C9F:B1D1:F985:39CC: /* Pros */

{{Age of Sigmar Faction|Faction=Flesh-Eater Courts|Logo=Flesh-Eater 01.png|Alliance=Death|Motto=The Noble Sir Marrowslurp charging into battle! Huzzah!}}

{{stub}}
==Why Play Flesh-Eaters Courts==

Imagine this. A glorious army of marching men-at-arms, disciplined, stoic and determined as they storm forward in organized ranks, watched by the steely eyes of their heroic commanders. By their side, mighty knights clad in full battle plate, resplendent in their shining armor, stomp across the ground with massive bejeweled two-handed weapons in hand, led by the strongest and boldest of their Champions. Above, warriors with angelic wings soar through the sky, intoning prayers and hymns of praise to their gods and their sovereign, filling all with pride to be in the court. Even holy beasts such as gryphons and majestic dragons take flight, their great bellows an inspiration to the humble men below. At the heads of the army, stands the King. Wearing fine armor and plate, he strides forward with confidence and utmost conviction, ready to put those who threaten his people to the sword.

Of course, that's what they think. And it's probably why you're here.

In reality, it's a terrifying horde of stinking, pallid creatures. Swarms of ghouls compete with each other to be first into the fray, scrabbling at their enemies desperately, dragging and tearing apart their enemies. Huge cannibals charge into the fight, shattering the battle line with their charge. Horrid, flying monsters impale unfortunates, while giant undead dragons and terrorgheists cut bloody swathes through formations of troops. At the head of it all, stand the proud ghoul kings and archregents. Inhumanly fast and durable, such bestial vampires rip apart scores of foes with horrifying ease, while their so-called holy prayers and spells take the form of dark death magic laced with the traces of their delusion.

Welcome to the court. And welcome to the feast.

===Pros===
* You can play an army of [[Nemesor Zahndrekh]] turned up to 100 with a sprinkling of cannibalism.
* They favor an aggressive playstyle. In fact, they can give the Daughters of Khaine a run for their money.
* You want to play an undead faction that doesn't (exclusively) serve [[Nagash|the big, bony douchebag]].
* You dish out Mortal Wounds like they were candy. For a good example, there's the Abhorrant Ghoul King on Royal Terrorgheist. With the right combination, he can get Always Strikes First and deal 20+ MORTAL WOUNDS from his Terrorgheist's Gaping Jaw! They're the glass cannon of Death armies.
* Their insane nature opens up many narrative ideas for your battles, as well as conversion opportunities.
**This isn't limited to knights in shining armor either. The new Seraphon battletome mentions a court who are convinced they are Saurus Warriors.
* With Bravery 10, they'll only run if they're pounded into the ground and even then there's a chance they'll stand.

===Cons===
* As is typical of Death faction armies, your heroes are the lynchpin. If you lose them, it's an uphill battle, even moreso than normal Death factions, as they have summoning magic but you don't anymore.
* Low saves everywhere. Even your heroes have lower saves than their equivalents in other armies. They're the glass cannon of Death armies.
* Expect accusations of being a tier-whore as they're quite good in the competitive meta.

==Rulebooks==
{{AOSRulebooks|tome=Flesh-Eater Courts (2019)|points=[https://www.warhammer-community.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/d6f53cb2.pdf Flesh-Eater Courts Errata]}}

==General Thoughts==
So, how do the Flesh-Eater Courts look? This battletome, while seemingly lazily done, has actually gifted the sons of Ushoran a TON of ways to play. The Skaven kinda got the short end of the stick, being nerfed and having multiple ways of exploding, plus VERY restricted battleline. But us? Our battleline is incredibly flexible, and the Grand Courts do an incredible job of changing our playstyles. As such, this book is a ton of fun, plus the lore's amazing.

Some general tips that should be noted for new Flesh-Eater players:
This army is hilariously easy to build up thanks to the Start Collecting! Flesh-Eater Courts box, which gives everything you need, and if you have a Skaven friend, Carrion Empire is another incredible deal. If you can, try getting the Nightfeast Hunters Skirmish box as well.

The lore of this army is fucking awesome. It's easily one of the most unique. So experiment! Try all kinds of things with your lore. Go insane, it's in theme.

Models wise, the army is still great. But when painting the inevitable horde of ghouls, try taking breaks now and then between your batches of ghouls by painting your heroes or monsters or horrors. It really helps break the monotony of painting ghouls. And don't be afraid to convert! Your guys are completely crazy, so go nuts with conversions! The Varghulf model is incredibly old but still good, but if you wish, there are tons of cool models that fit on 60mm bases that work great as a conversion! Don't forget, your courtiers must be made from the same boxes as your normal mooks, so plan out in advance how you're gonna build your boxes. For example, in my case: I had 3 boxes of Crypt Horrors/Flayers, and I used the parts inside to build 3 Crypt Horrors, 3 Flayers and 2 Haunter Courtiers and 1 Infernal Courtier. For Ghast Courtiers, try finding conversions, because you do NOT want to take that single model out of your ghoul blob and be left with 19 odd ghouls, consider the Grymmwatch set, since it comes with 6 unique and very distict ghoul models. Currently the official base size for Ghast Courtiers is 32mm, so keep that in mind.

In terms of playstyle, I have no idea why but a LOT of FEC players have this weird Blisterskin Flayer or Gristlegore Monster Mash fetish. Keep in mind, Flayers are NOT reliable whatsoever. Same with your monsters. This will be touched upon again later. Large groups of flayers with the feeding frenzy command ability will put out an obscene amount of mortal wounds.

The most important part of the playstyle that should be remembered is this: Your units are overpriced like all hell for good reason. A unit of Horrors is the same cost as a Fellwater Troggoth unit that has outright better stats. Why? Because you can bring your Horrors back, they can't. You can summon entirely NEW units as well. So focus on that. Your units generally suck, and rely on synergies to bring out the best in them. There was a lot of crying about the new Feeding Frenzy being overpowered, but it's really useful at making flesh-eaters viable. SO remember: One of your greatest strengths is your numbers and sheer attrition power. There are few armies in the game that can throw so many bodies on the board, or regenerate so much, which is why you should try to focus on that.

Most importantly, have fun with the Courts of Ushoran! This is an incredibly cool army that also loves conversions, so let your imagination go wild!

==Allegiance Traits==

*'''Deathless Courtiers:''' Each time one of your units wholly within 12 inches of your general or friendly FEC hero takes a wound or mortal wound, they get an extra 6+ save. Classic Death allegiance ability. Not amazing, but it’s quite reliable and helps make up for your poor average save. Works with both courtiers and Abhorrants, so try to ensure that all of your MORDANTS are within range of any COURTIERS or ABHORRANTS to get the most out of this.

*'''Feeding Frenzy:''' It’s been HUGELY improved. It’s now a command ability that you can use immediately after any FLESH-EATER COURTS unit has piled in and made its attacks, wholly within 12" of any FLESH-EATER COURTS HERO, increased to 18" if the general uses the command ability. That unit gets to pile in and attack AGAIN! RIP AND TEAR! Normally your units are relatively weak, but with this you can seriously pump out good damage. However, this means that you need to spend your command points carefully. There’s also some serious utility with this ability, as piling in again means you get to effectively move 6 inches in the combat phase, allowing you to either attack vulnerable heroes, or pull your opponent’s shooting units into the fight. You can also use this to swarm objectives better with Crypt Ghouls, letting you claim them, especially since you will usually have a LOT of them. But be extremely careful that you don’t pull in your opponent’s stronger melee units.

*'''Court of Delusions:''' With this, you get to choose an ability for your entire army before choosing your command trait. Can drastically alter how you play your army, so choose...carefully. Notable this gives you a unique set of tactical options. Up against a gunline? go Crusading Army. Trolls? Royal hunt and so on.

#'''Crusading Army:''' You can add 1 to run and charge rolls for Flesh Eater Courts units. Solid, and can add up to a few extra made charges over the course of a game. Somewhat weaker than before, no free re-rolls unlike last time. Still solid, but pales a bit in comparison to The Feast Day (Will be discussed below).
#'''The Royal Hunt:''' Your entire army can reroll hit and wound rolls of 1 but only when attacking monsters. Ok, but extremely dependent on your opponent’s army (and by extension, your local meta). The main problem being that many of your units have innate access to re-rolls, such as crypt Horrors or ghouls, while Zombie Dragon Ghoul Kings could potentially cover re-rolling wound rolls. However, it’s better with your big monsters and Crypt Flayers, who have less access to re-rolls.
#'''The Feast Day:''' You can use the Feeding Frenzy command ability without spending a command point once per turn. Incredible. Also note that it doesn't specify a specific turn in which it applies... so you can use the command ability during your opponents turn once for free as well! You will always get mileage out of this one. By far best all-round delusion (once again excluding Grand Courts, but more on that below). It used to be so bad, but it’s now a great choice if you wish to save command points for other things, such as summoning more mordants or the generic ones.
#'''A Matter of Honour:''' Your units can reroll hit rolls of 1 when targeting heroes. If it's the enemy general you can reroll wound rolls of 1 too. Much more universal than Royal Hunt, so worth a look. Good choice, especially since it applies to your whole army. It’s generally a nice bonus, but might depend on what your opponent brings.
#'''The Grand Tournament:''' Heroes other than your general can reroll hit rolls of 1. It is specific and obviously only useful if you've got a bunch of heroes, but if that's the army you're running then it can hurt a lot. If you are running an Archregent, Foot AGK or Courtier General and at least one (two+ preferred) mounted AGKs, this could be worth it. Consider your heroes. The mounted AGKs will benefit a lot from this. Your foot AGKs are solid fighters, but remember that your Haunter Courtier is unlikely benefit much from this. Same with the Varghulf Courtier, both of whom usually have innate re-rolls. Overall, an honestly strong choice if you bring a lot of mounted AGKs. Not as much utility as The Feast Day or Crusading Army, but re-rolling those dreadful ones with your mounted Terrorgheist’s Fanged Maw is amazing.
#'''Defenders of the Realm:''' Reroll saves of 1 for all units with at least half of their models in your territory. Since you don't have much in the way of long-range attacks, you're probably going to need to be aggressive, so this won't be useful. Running this with King's Ghouls and two 40 Ghoul blocks could make for a more defensive army. Even if you have to be defensive, this isn’t that strong. Your units have weak saves across the board. HOWEVER, if you are really dead set on this, then consider what units will benefit most from it. Ghouls are unlikely to benefit much, but your monsters and ABHORRANTS will, with their solid 4+ saves. Once again, a somewhat situational delusion, but definitely has its uses.

The best delusion is The Feast Day, by far. Crusading Army and maybe The Grand Tournament might be worth a look depending on your list. The others tend to be too situational or don't offer anything else that FEC don't have access to via other means.

===Grand Courts===
Now instead of a delusion, you get to choose one of the the Grand Courts! Kind of like Beasts of Chaos Greatfrays or Stormcast Stormhosts. You get a specific delusion, a command trait, an artifact and your own command ability. So unlike the Delusions, you get a command ability to make up for the fact that you MUST take the command trait and artifact. All of them are pretty solid, and it means that you have a gigantic amount of customization for your army. These ones hugely change up your army’s playstyle.

====Morgaunt Grand Court====
*'''Ability: Blood Loyalty'''
Solid. Your MORGAUNT COURTIERS wholly within 12" of a MORGAUNT SERFS (your crypt ghouls) unit, re-roll hit rolls of 1. Haunter and Varghulf Courtiers have relatively easy access to re-rolls, unlike Ghast and Infernals, who will definitely benefit a lot. However, the best part of this ability is this: Your MORGAUNT SERFS wholly within 12" of your COURTIERs activate Boundless Ferocity at 10 or more models. Boundless Ferocity is the new fancy name for Battalion Strength, meaning that your ghouls get an extra attack (usually 3 attacks total), at 10+ models. This is incredibly useful, as it means that 20-ghoul blobs are viable, and summoning a ghoul unit may actually do something. Of course, be careful of the range. As well as the fact that ABHORRANTs cannot activate it, only COURTIER units can.

*'''Command Ability: Heaving Masses'''
Your opponent is going to destroy lots of ghouls. What do you do then? You bring even MOAR ghouls. You can use this command ability when any MORGAUNT SERFS unit is destroyed, and you roll a dice, on a 4+, you get to set up the exact same unit wholly within 6" of any edge of the battlefield, and 9" from enemies. This is actually really useful. The biggest weakness is that you're spending a command point for a 50% chance of bringing back a unit, which is risky, though better than those Hammers of Sigmar gits. The most obvious use is in gaining insane amounts of attrition pressure. BUuuut, you also should remember: You can choose ANY edge. There are a lot of ways to use this. If you have multiple units of 10-20 ghouls, you can try your luck with this to let those ghouls attack from unexpected angles, tying up shooty units, and possibly killing squishies, especially if you summon a COURTIER using an Archregent or zombie dragon ghoul king. Still great to use on big groups though. See the smaller groups as an ambush party of sorts. They have the flexibility and small footprint to go after your opponenent's backline, while having the damage (Keep Blood Loyalty in mind) to seriously dent stuff. Remember though, you can only use this when a unit is destroyed, so if the roll fails, those guys are permanently gone, so don't be a smartass trying to bring units back from the dead.

*'''Command Trait: Savage Chivalry'''
You can re-roll hit-rolls of 1 for your general if they are within 12" of a MORGAUNT SERFS unit. Look carefully at "WITHIN". Your Mounted ghoul kings just need a tiny part of their base to be within 12" and they get the re-rolls. Doesn't seem like a lot, but it's a very useful buff. But remember carefully who benefits most from this. Varghulf and Haunter Courtiers benefit little, so your best bet would be ABHORRANTs, but don't forget that this CANNOT affect a royal terrorgheist or zombie dragon mount. That said, it's not a jaw-droppingly good command trait, but you honestly can't go wrong with this. Reliable if a little boring.

*'''Artifact: Decrepit Crown'''
This special artifact which allows your units to ignore battleshock while WHOLLY within 12 inches of the wielder, 18 if the general Carries it. Most would dismiss this as weak since Death units have bravery 10 (which is awesome), but you’re playing crypt GHOULS. These guys die like flies, and while they won’t run like a Skaven, you will still lose a LOT to battleshock. This also saves your CPs from being used on Inspiring Presence. Your monsters don't care about battleshock, but Crypt Ghouls most certainly do. And while Crypt Horrors and Flayers don't usually care about battleshock, the fact that this still buffs them shouldn't be forgotten. Terrible battleshock rolls, heavy casualties, losing those Crypt Horrors/Flayers is PAINFUL. So this is honestly a great artifact.

Overall, a great Grand Court. Remember, this focuses a LOT on your Serfs/Crypt Ghouls, who are excellent at killing lightly-armored foes. For sample lists, you could try multiple units of 10-20 ghouls as screens and fodder to die for your bigger blocks of 30-40, and use Heaving Masses for them to either threaten objectives or threaten the enemy backline. Also, try bringing rending units, such as Flayers or monsters. In this kind of list, having a Courtier or two would be extremely useful, such as using an Archregent or Zombie Dragon Ghoul King's summon ability. Generally best to summon either Ghasts or Varghulfs, since they can replenish those units, AND use the Feeding Frenzy Command ability on said units.

====Hollowmourne Grand Court====
*'''Ability: Shattering Charge'''
Your COURTIER and KNIGHTS units get to re-roll wound rolls of 1 in turns that they charge. This is scary good at increasing your damage, and you can squeeze out all the mileage from this with Feeding Frenzy. All your COURTIERS benefit, but monsters like your Varghulf and Haunter Courtiers will go nuts with this. Your KNIGHTS, Horrors and Flayers both benefit hugely from this, especially because they pump out so many attacks. It's also worth mentioning that while your zombie dragon ghoul kings can cast his unique spell to get full re-rolls, it's not guaranteed to go off, and sometimes it may get unbound. While this shit? This shit means shit's going down son, guaranteed so long as you get that charge. Speaking of which...

*'''Command Ability: Ravenous Crusaders'''
You can pick any HOLLOWMOURNE unit wholly within 9" of a HERO or 18" of your general, and they get add 1 to run and charge rolls, and can even run and charge. This significantly increases your threat range, and gives you the flexibility to attempt long bomb charges. It also works with your units that you summoned, since they now just need an 8 to make a successful charge. However, this command ability requires you to THINK. Don't spam it or you will most definitely run out of command points. You don't always wish to throw your horror deathstar as fast as possible at your opponent. It's easy for your units to accidentally run OUT of your synergy and buff ranges, leaving them as easy pickings. So be very careful with this.

*'''Command Trait: Grave Robber'''
Once again, doesn't affect mounts. So no cheesing with your royal mounts. Your general adds 1 to attacks and damage while within 3" of enemy HEROES with an artifact of power. Even though it doesn't affect your mount, Abhorrant Ghoul Kings and Archregents actually benefit a LOT from this. They have a lot of attacks, so that added damage will hurt. However, it's difficult to get close to enemies with artifacts of power. So it might be really good on Varghulf Courtiers or mounted Kings, units that can fly and pick their fights. It's also worth remembering that your general doesn't need to attack the hero with an artifact, you can actually tear apart that unit your opponent was screening his hero with.

*'''Artifact: Corpsefane Gauntlet'''
When the model with this artifact charges, you can inflict D3 mortal wounds on a 2+ against ONE enemy unit within 1". It's a very small effect, since the bearer may not make that many charges. HOWEVER, there are some uses to this. Infantry units have the wounds to laugh it off, so pick your charges wisely. Monsters with damage tables would utterly hate taking D3 wounds, as it can knock them down a peg even before your guy swings. Heroes usually have about 5 wounds, and as such this can seriously hurt them. Squishy glass cannon units with lots of damage may also hate this, especially 1 wound units like Bestigors, Grimghast Reapers, Bladegheist Revennants, Bloodletters, heck, even Loonsmasha Fanatics.

In conclusion, quite a killy Grand Court. My personal favorite because I'm in love with Horrors. Ravenous Crusaders should be used wisely and as a sneaky trick, since you can use it to surprise your opponent with extended threat ranges. It's also very good for summoned units to fish for those 9" charges. These armies would probably like using a mounted ghoul king or varghulf courtier general to make use of Grave Robber, while the Corpsefane Gauntlet does great on anything, though aggressive heroes that will most certainly get stuck in will like this. Interestingly, Varghulf courtier or mounted king generals could get a lot of mileage by having having the Gauntlet, since they have the mobility to pick their targets and get to artifact-carrying heroes, while having the stats to massively benefit from the Grave Robber buffs. Don't forget, your Horrors become battleline if you choose this Grand Court. After some testing by the noble kings of the Grand Alliance community, it can be said that Hollowmourne is surprisingly strong. Deranged Transformation on one unit of 6 Horrors, Ravenous Crusaders on another unit of 6, allows for incredible mobility. Don’t use this to alpha strike, instead, use it as a scalpel. Such Horrors work great in an Attendants at Court battalion, use this to target enemies that your Horrors are good against, while the rest of your army moves into position.

====Blisterskin Grand Court====
*'''Ability: Blistering Speed'''
All your BLISTERSKIN units gain 2 inches of movement. This is honestly incredible. You will ALWAYS get a use out of this. There's little to be said, other than the fact that you will normally outrange your opponent in terms of threat range. This allows you to cross the board faster, and forces your opponent to play conservatively, as they have to watch for you, because with this, you have the ability to pick your fights with this kind of insane mobility.

*'''Command Ability: Lords of the Burning Skies'''
Used in the movement phase, you get to choose BLISTERSKIN unit with the FLY keyword. You can remove it from the battlefield and set it up again 9 inches away from any enemy models. They can't move after that. Nice. Unfortunately, being limited to flying units does restrict it quite a bit (Remember Spectral Host! Any unit can be given FLY via magic and popped anywhere you want!). Try not to use this for alpha strikes, as you have little ways to buff up an alpha strike to do it reliably or even kill the stuff you charge. Instead, the mere threat of it is a boon. Your opponent has to set up to prepare for any potential attacks from unexpected angles. Use it also for objective grabbing or you can set up your monsters/flayers a good distance away from the enemy such that they can't charge your units easily, while yours can (Your guys have a LOT of movement, so use it). It allows you to threaten your opponent and spread them thin. Don't forget, you can still shoot. Flayers get to shoot, and they can deal decent damage en masse, while Terrorgheists and Zombie Dragons have outright terrifying ranged attacks, especially the Terrorgheist.

*'''Command Trait: Hellish Orator'''
While this general is ON the battlefield, at the start of your hero phase roll a dice, on a 4+ you get a command point, in addition to your normal. Because we have no cap on CP generation, this is a great command trait. Especially with how CP hungry we are. This will always be useful, although it being random is a partial issue, of course, but it’s better than many other command traits. Try to ensure your general stays alive then, for example, an Archregent kept at the back, because if he’s dead (most mounted kings will eventually get targeted and hoses down) or deep striking (Zombie Dragon kings can do that), this trait won’t work.

*'''Artifact: Eye of Hysh'''
Subtract 1 from hit rolls for attacks made within missile weapons that target a friendly BLISTERSKIN unit wholly within 6” of the bearer. The biggest weakness is the 6” range. However, it does work on the Bearer himself. Can be situational, especially against melee-centric armies like Ironjawz or Khorne, but will usually get at least some mileage. Don’t try to brick up your entire army around the Bearer though, it will be extremely awkward and difficult considering the large footprints of your army. Still a decent artifact.

All in all, a great Grand Court with lots of utility based artifact and trait. It’s useful, although it’s strengths are not immediately obvious and require finesse in using. One of the most important things about this is the fact that Flayers become battleline. Generally, Blisterskin Flayer lists have become competitive, and are seen as surprisingly strong, due to a mix of excellent mobility, lots of mortal wounds and a LOT of armor piercing damage, while still able to clear hordes quickly.

==== Gristlegore Grand Court====
*'''Ability: Peerless Ferocity'''
If the unmodified hit roll for an attack made by a GRISTLEGORE hero or GRISTLEGORE monster is 6, that attack inflicts 2 hits on that target instead of 1. Make a wound and save roll for each hit. Insanely powerful when used with Ghoul kings on terrorgheists with gruesome bite. You can easily fish for Fanged Maw hits, and if you do get a hit roll of 6, your attack still explodes. However, one attack will be converted into 6 Mortal wounds and its attack sequence ends, while the other will make a wound roll as normal. It allows you to deal mortal wounds, followed by the chance to toss out some extra 2 rend damage. Add Feeding Frenzy, and you’ll see the reason why Mounted TG kings are now a staple in competitive play. However, try not to use this trick so much, it WILL lose you friends. Seriously, I’ve seen it.
Note: FAQs have confirmed that each effect will trigger ONCE. So as described above, 1 hit becomes 2, and one of those hits will trigger Gaping Maw.

*'''Command Ability: Call to War'''
If a friendly GRISTLEGORE hero or GRISTLEGORE monster that has not fought in a combat phase is slain while wholly within 12" of a friendly hero (or 18" of the general), you can use this command ability to let it pile-in move and then attack with all its melee weapons. You can use Feeding Frenzy right after Call to War, if you want to lose more friends. Very useful, especially if Monstrous Vigor is on that dead unit. It allows you to squeeze all the value out of your guys. Especially powerful on any Terrorgheist, because their bite doesn’t degrade as they get wounded. However, this should not be used every time you lose someone. Try only to use it for your stronger heroes/monsters, or you’re gonna waste Command points that could’ve been used for feeding frenzy on your healthier units.

*'''Command Trait: Savage Strike'''
This general fights at the start of the combat phase before the players pick any other units to fight in that combat phase on a turn they made a charge (via GHB2019 FAQ). This general cannot fight again in that combat phase unless an ability or spell allows it to fight more than once. This is exactly why Abhorrant Ghoul King on Terrorgheist generals are so powerful. <s>It takes priority even in your opponent’s combat phase, which is insane because you can still use Feeding Frenzy.</s> this isn't true anymore since it now only works when you charged. Once again, try not to cheese with this too much or you’ll literally be That Guy. There’s good reason why the FEC Start Collecting got sold out at LGS because of Legions of Nagash players.

*'''Artefect- Ghurish Mawshard'''
It's a d6 roll and if you roll over your targets wounds characteristic they're slain! Also ONCE PER BATTLE!!! Unfortunately this doesn't work on big things, so if you knock that Bloodthirstier down to 3 wounds remaining, you can't use this to finish it off since it has 14 wounds base on its warscroll). Also needs to be used at the start of the combat phase and 1" range.... Maybe worthwhile on something with a decent save, mortal wound negation and/or ethereal special rule. Still, versus a 3 wound model, it's a 50/50 chance.

Overall, a very strong Court. There was an errata where monsters without king riders don’t count towards Behemoth, which is crazy good. (Cry your hearts out Beastclaw raiders!). Even so, spamming monsters is not that cheesy, it’s when someone spams 2-3 Ghoul King’s on Terrorgheists all with gruesome bite, that’s just disgusting. But if you really want to smash someone you really don’t like, then that’s a good sample list for you.

==Command Traits==
There are now 2 tables: Royalty and Nobility.

'''Royalty: ABHORRANT HEROES only'''
#'''Bringer of Death:''' Your general can reroll wound rolls of 1. Pretty solid for a close combat monster general.
#'''Frenzied Flesh-eater:''' Reroll failed hits and wounds if there are any wounded models within 3". As wounds only get allocated one all of the unit's attacks have been resolved, reliability will depend greatly on how many multi-wound models your opponent is fielding.
#'''Savage Beyond Reason:''' Unmodified hit rolls of 6 explode into 2 automatic hits. Competes with Frenzied Flesh-Eater. This is also very good, since your abhorrants have so many attacks that they can do a LOT of damage with this. However, less reliable than Frenzied Flesh-Eater, since those 6s may not always happen.
#'''Majestic Horror:''' If you have a summoning Command Ability, use it for free. It will save you one command point. Which can actually mean a lot. It means that your Archregents/Ghoul Kings don't need to hang around the throne, or can work great with your mounted kings. It's not as game breaking as before, but you can hardly go wrong with a free command point.
#'''Dark Wizardry:''' Add 1 to the General's Casting, Dispelling and Unbinding rolls if they're a Wizard. This is nuts. It's an incredible command trait, especially for your Archregents, who can cast 2 spells AND unbind 2 spells a phase. This is probably the strongest and most reliable trait for a foot ABHORRANT hero, who usually prefer to support than fight. Your mounted kings work best with the more combat-oriented traits above, and even then, they may prefer this due to the fact that your kings aren't that scary in combat.
#'''Completely Delusional:''' Once per battle, if your general is still alive, you can change your current delusion to a new one. You cannot choose a Grand Court though. Actually quite good, as your delusions are actually solid. It does give you huge flexibility, for example, start with Crusading Army to NYOOOOOOM up the board, then change to Feast Day when getting stuck in. Or use Defenders of the Realm if you're expecting an alpha strike, then swap to Feast Day to boost your combat power. The possibilities are actually limitless.

Definitely a great table. Your close combat generals would appreciate almost any of the combat traits, Majestic Horror is a great utility trait that will always get work done no matter what, Dark Wizardry is just crazy good, while Completely Delusional is an incredibly strong trait that requires finesse to use but is greatly rewarding when used well. Archregents will love Dark Wizardry, that is a given.

'''Nobility: COURTIER HEROES only'''
#'''Bringer of Death:''' Your general can reroll wound rolls of 1. Pretty solid for a close combat general. Haunter and Infernal Courtiers will like it, and Varghulfs will love this.
#'''Frenzied Flesh-eater:''' Reroll failed hits and wounds if there are any wounded models within 3". See above.
#'''Savage Beyond Reason:''' Unmodified hit rolls of 6 explode into 2 automatic hits. This is great. Your Haunter Courtier has multi damage weapons that will love exploding dice, and your Varghulf Courtier will go nuts with this, thanks to his insanely high damage output, while your Infernal Courtier will certainly appreciate this.
#'''Hulking Brute:''' Add 1 to your general's wounds. Not bad. But generally quite unimpressive compared to the other options.
#'''Cruel Taskmaster:''' You can re-roll the dice when using the Muster ability. Less potent for a Ghast Courtier, since ghouls are regenerated on a 2+. However, this is a godsend for Haunter or Infernal Courtiers, since a re-rollable 5+ is technically equivalent to a 4+. Keep in mind that any dice can be rerolled, including successful rolls, so that Varghulf Courtier who brought back a bunch of ghouls can actually reroll the dice and fish for 5s and 6s. A very good trait. *Actually, if you reroll, you must reroll ALL the dice. So more of a safety net if you roll terribly than a constantly reliable trait.
#'''Dark Acolyte:''' You're a WIZARD, Harry! A flesh-eating and completely insane one, too. You also get to cast 1 spell, unbind 1 and know the Black Hunger spell. This is another insanely strong trait. Being a FLESH-EATER COURTS WIZARD means that you can cast Endless Spells, and you also know one spell from the Lore of Madness (More on that later). This is extremely good, but since feed on Dark Magic only triggers if an '''ABHORRANT''' casts a spell, it falls short in that regard.

Overall, a great set of command traits. This whole table generally does best with a Varghulf Courtier general, but the others can work. Combat generals should probably grab Savage Beyond Reason, while anything else should usually get Dark Acolyte. Cruel Taskmaster is crazy good but depends heavily on what you need. Usually, another wizard is better than rerolling your muster ability.

==Artifacts==
There are 2 sets of artifacts now, one for Abhorrants and one for Courtiers.

'''Royal Treasury: ABHORRANT HEROES only'''
#'''Signet of the First Court:''' Unmodified wound rolls of 6 by the general get damage increased by 1 for that attack. Most Abhorrants have a lot of attacks, so they can definitely get some serious mileage out of this. Somewhat overshadowed by the support artifacts, but great if you want a damage focused abhorrant.
#'''Splintervane Broach:''' Enemy Wizards within 12 subtract 1 from their casting rolls. Very nasty if you can get within range, but a lot of Wizards will just move out of range of it, so unreliable. Having said that, with the arrival of Malign Sorcery and increased focus on magic, this is definitely a more viable option than in AOS 1.0. If you are playing a one off against a magic heavy opponent or have a magic heavy local meta, it definitely bears consideration.
#'''Blood River Chalice:''' Once per game heal D6 wounds on your character. Best on a mounted ghoul kings who just shifted down a wound level to bounce him back up. It's a great artifact. Wasted on foot kings, who only have 6 wounds, or Archregents, who already heal 3 wounds instantly. This should always be given to mounted kings, who can heal D6 from this, then D3 from their Royal Blood ability, which can mean a TON of wounds recovered. Excellent artifact, you can get a ton of mileage out of this. In practice, many opponents will try to one shot the bearer so he can't use it. If you can predict when he's gonna do it, try casting Unholy Vitality (Your TG riding king's unique spell). Even if your opponent manages to kill him, he would have wasted so much damage on your character trying to kill him.
#'''The Grim Garland:''' Enemy units within in 6 subtract 2 from their Bravery. In practice, this means 1 enemy unit, but this is still incredible. An autopick for any Flayer or Terrorgheist heavy list. Your shooting attacks will deal huge amounts of damage, and that's not even taking into account the horrendous battle shock that you have to take, normally forcing the wasting of a LOT of command points for Inspiring Presence.
#'''The Dermal Robe:''' Add 1 to casting, dispelling, unbinding rolls for bearer. Once again, just plain insane. You can either stack it with Dark Wizardry for a godlike caster who can compete with Arkhan and even Nagash, or you can give it to someone else to spread your spells around. Generally best with Archregents once again, who are complete gods of magic for the flesh-eaters. This is an insanely good artifact, that you seriously cannot go wrong with.
#'''Heart of the Gargant Feast:''' Once per game rerolls to wound for your character. Solid, but limited, probably better to take something that helps more than one unit. What he said. The artifact is relatively meh, but if you truly wish to use it, use it with a strong mounted king, and buff him with stuff like Feeding Frenzy, the Archregent's Ferocious Hunger, Zombie Dragon King's Malefic Hunger, you get the idea, especially if you REALLY want something just that dead, since the aforementioned spells actually buff your mount too.

'''Noble Heirlooms: COURTIER HEROES only'''
#'''Keening Bone:''' One the bearer's melee weapons has its range changed to 3 inches. Formerly seen as a joke, but it's a very interesting artifact. 3 inches is massive, and as such, when piling in your hero, this can be used as a very nasty surprise. This actually makes for a great hero killer, especially after piling in. Feeding Frenzy can be used to get even more threat range, allowing you to hit squishy support heroes standing behind, or attack powerful melee characters from a safe range - behind his own troops.
#'''Medal of Madness:''' Once per battle ROUND this now allows the Courtier to use one of the three generic command abilities for free. (per the FAQ)
#'''The Flayed Pennant:''' Re-roll failed charge rolls for FLESH-EATER COURTS units wholly within 12 inches of bearer. Oh how the mighty have fallen. Yet, not all hope is lost. Still makes for super cool conversions, such as a Chaos warrior's banner, or heck even a Bloodletter's Bloodsoaked Banner. This is arguably stronger than before. It's effect is permanent, and once again, a Varghulf carrying this could zoom around, buffing everyone you need to buff. Free re-rolls means more CPs saved, and thus more Feeding Frenzies, or more summons or more Grand Court command abilities. Just make sure you position your Courtier to be where most of your charges will be made.
#'''Carrion Wand:''' Bearer can cast Arcane Bolt like a WIZARD. If he's already a WIZARD, basically if he has the Dark Acolyte command trait, add 1 to casting rolls for Arcane Bolt. Not amazing, but it's interesting, since you can use Arcane Bolts to snipe enemy characters. It's decent, though not that useful.
#'''The Fleshform Raiment:''' Subtract 1 from bravery of enemy units within 3 inches of bearer. A straight downgrade from the Grim Garland. In every single case, you should take Grim Garland over this. Abhorrants have access to larger bases, and the debuff is far more painful. However, if you still want this artifact, then you should probably take both this AND the Grim Garland. If you want the bravery bomb, then you pretty much HAVE TO COMMIT. Still not the most recommended choice.
#'''The Bilious Decanter:''' Wow. Once per battle, add 2 to the attacks of the bearer's melee weapons. It goes without saying, but Varghulfs benefit massively from this. They have the most accurate attacks, a ton of damage, good rend, and this just boosts it to ridiculous levels. Use Feeding Frenzy to get the most out of this baby. And it's still incredible on Haunter or Infernal Courtiers, who will definitely love the extra damage.

====Mount Traits====
Similar to artifacts, you can pick one to give to your mounted ghoul kings. And for each battalion you have, you can pick another. Completely independent from artifacts, which is awesome. Designer's Commentary also confirms that these traits may be duplicated, unlike Artefacts of Power.

'''TERRORGHEIST TRAITS: HERO mounted on Royal Terrorgheist only'''
*'''Deathly Fast:''' This model can run and still shoot in same turn. It's decent, it means an extra D6 inches to your Death Shriek, but you can't charge, which is the main problem. Plus the D6 is unreliable. Overall, not a very good trait.
*'''Razor-Clawed:''' Actually not bad. But relatively weak on a Terrorgheist, since most of his damage comes from his bite, which already does mortal wounds and has a TWO REND. A bit situational, since not many things have such a good save to warrant a -3 rend modifier.
*'''Horribly Infested:''' When the monster dies, inflict 3 mortal wounds instead of D3 with the Infested ability. This is actually really good. A mounted king built for damage can swoop in the middle of the enemy, devastate them, explode and deal a ton of wounds. A very solid trait for Terrorgheists.
*'''Horribly Resilient:''' Heal 3 wounds instead of D3 for Royal Blood. Wow. This is yet another solid trait, as it can bring you up on the damage table easily. Another really good trait.
*'''Gruesome Bite:''' Re-roll hit rolls with the Terrorgheist's Fanged Maw. This is almost always the best trait to pick. A 4+ rerollable is better than a 3+, significantly improving your accuracy. Plus, you can fish for more mortal wound hits, which is utterly terrifying. A must-pick to skyrocket your damage potential.
*'''Devastating Scream:''' Add 1 to the roll for Death Shriek. Not very strong, since it's only one extra wound. Overshadowed by the other traits here.

Kings on Terrorgheists should usually prioritize Gruesome Bite, while Horribly Resilient and Horribly Infested are other great choices. The others are usually not that powerful, or are too situational.

'''ZOMBIE DRAGON TRAITS: HERO mounted on Royal Zombie Dragon only'''
*'''Deathly Fast:''' This model can run and still shoot in same turn. It's decent, it means an extra D6 inches to your Pestilential Breath, but you can't charge, which is the main problem. Plus the D6 is unreliable. Overall, not a very good trait.
*'''Razor-Clawed:''' Actually a good choice for your zombie dragon. Most of his damage comes from that brutal claws, and 2 rend on those is terrifying. He doesn't do mortal wounds like a Terrorgheist, so extra rend is honestly much more useful for him.
*'''Baneful Breath:''' Re-roll wound rolls for Pestilential Breath attacks. A very solid trait. Your accuracy is incredible, and you'll hit almost every single time. The biggest weakness of this is the unreliability of the damage D6. It's a decent choice.
*'''Horribly Resilient:''' Heal 3 wounds instead of D3 for Royal Blood. Wow. This is yet another solid trait, as it can bring you up on the damage table easily. Another really good trait.
*'''Necrotic Fangs:''' Re-roll damage rolls for your Snapping Maw. Not bad. But given the bad hit-rolls of this weapon, it can be skipped since the hardest part is hitting in the first place.
*'''Death From The Skies:''' STEEL REEHN. Your Dragon can appear anywhere on the board at the end of the first movement phase. Actually a super good trait. Not for first-turn charges. But because your King can basically be where he is needed most. Maybe your Horrors are already getting stuck in, and need your king for the hit re-roll aura and the Malefic hunger buff? Or those Ghoul Patrol Crypt Ghouls are trying to charge and might need a Forward to Victory? There's a ton of possibilities with this trait, which gives you massive flexibility.

Death From The Skies should be given first priority, while Razor-Clawed and Horribly Resilient are possible but worthy choices.

====Notable Artifacts of the Realms====

==Lore of Madness==

FLESH-EATER COURTS WIZARDS only. Each WIZARD gets one spell from this list. They can actually have multiple copies of the same spell, they just can't attempt it more than once in the same hero phase. Also, Courtiers with Dark Acolyte get spells from here, since they are wizards in a Flesh-Eater Courts army.

*'''Bonestorm''' Casts on a 5. Roll a dice for each enemy within a foot, and on a 2+ they take a mortal wound. Decent enough as your second or third pick, and as a plus you get to yell out BONESTORM!

*'''Spectral Host''' Casts on a 6. This one lets a unit within 12 fly. If it could already fly they can run and charge. Be still my unbeating heart, this one is amazing. Blisterskin flayers with an average threat range of 25 inch threat are really rather worrisome. Roll a 10 and it'll target 3 units. Neat. ( pairs well with the blisterkin command ability and any non flying units).

*'''Monstrous Vigor''' Casts on a 5. A monster gets to pretend it isn't wounded. REALLY good in Gristlegore, but otherwise probably less good than the other options on the list.

*'''Miasmal Shroud''' Casts on a 5. Roll 3 dice, for each 5+ you do a mortal to the target unit. If you roll a double they get -1 to hit. A triple they also get -1 to wound. Interestingly enough it doesn't HAVE to do mortals to nerf the unit, so on triple 1s they're still useless.

*'''Deranged Transformation''' Casts on a 6. This one is... actually pretty good!. It adds a unit's wounds to their move, as long as it's less than 7 wounds. Suddenly a unit of flayers gets +4 move, and that's really rather cool. Similar to Spectral Host, and just like it, you can target 3 units if you roll a 10+. Very good, albeit situational compared to Spectral host. You need to build your list around this. Your Horrors and flayers will benefit a LOT from this. Gaining 4 inches move is no joke, and significantly increases your threat range. Deranged Transformation needs to be considered properly. Horrors will appreciate this the most, as you can now pick and choose your favored targets.

*'''Blood Feast''' Casts on a 7, pick an enemy within 12 of the caster, and a friendly within 6 of that unit. D3 mortals to the baddies, d6 on a 10+. The friendly heals for 1 for each wound done, or if they only have 1 wound, aka ghouls, you can bring back that many dead dudes. Pretty solid spell, and a good way to keep your big scary dragons in fighting form!

==Endless Spells==
'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls/AoS_Flesh-eater_Courts_WSCards_Endless_Spell_Cadaverous_Barricade.pdf Cadaverous Barricade]:''' Casting value 5 endless spell that doesn't move, non-DEATH units within 3 inches of this model that start a move suffer a halved distance when making moves. This includes charges, runs, retreats, whatever. It's only 30points for a wall of bullshit that will make your opponent tear his hair out. Unfortunately, it doesn't affect Death units. However, bear in mind that this thing also gives cover to units being shot by ranged weapons, so long as the shot unit is within 1 inch of this spell, and if the attacker is closer to the wall than they are to the unit they're shooting. Remember. How much shooting do you actually have? Flayers, Terrorgheists, who do mortal wounds, zombie dragons, whose rend of -3 does not give a shit. So that pretty much never helps your opponent. Plus it has a longggg range of 24 inches. There are several ways to abuse this thing. Firstly, if your opponent is unfortunate enough to not be dead, a Cadaverous Barricade in the middle of his army will ruin his plans. Plus, you can also dump it in the middle of combats to deny pile in space for your opponent's scariest monsters and fighters, or block off units trying to claim objectives. Endless Spells are counted as friendly models, so you can only move through this if you can fly (or have some similar ability). You'll be making everything walk around the flimsy metal fence!

'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls/AoS_Flesh-eater_Courts_WSCards_Endless_Spell_Chalice_of_Ushoran.pdf Chalice of Ushoran]:'''An endless spell that doesn't move, count the number of models slain within 12" (Not wholly within, and not units), at the end of each TURN, roll a number of dice equal to that count. For each 4+, heal 1 wound or return a model with a Wounds characteristic of 1 to any FLESH-EATER COURTS unit or model. This is the example of the perfect endless spell. It ties perfectly into our playstyle. Put in the middle of a huge scrum, and watch as this, combined with mustering, just brings back most of your army. It's still relatively cheap at 50pts, making it easy to slot into any list. Your opponent will do his utmost to dispel this, so you're probably only able to use it in your turn, but that means one less casting attempt for your opponent. Don't be afraid to dispel it yourself, though, if the fighting moves somewhere else, and you might need to relocate the Chalice. Remember, you can use it to heal multi-wound models like Horrors and Flyers, but you can't return a model. So for the sake of Nagash, bring ghouls if you want the most out of this. Ghouls drop like flies, so use it to heal either your ghoul units, or your stronger hammers, such as monsters, Horrors, Flayers, or your Courtiers. Don't always depend on whether your opponent's going to bring a horde to feed your damn chalice, just feed it yourself.

'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls/AoS_Flesh-eater_Courts_WSCards_Endless_Spell_Corpsemare_Stampede.pdf Corpsemare Stampede]:'''a Predatory spell that rolls 5 dice against each unit it moves over. For each roll that beats (not equals) the unit's wound characteristic, inflict 1 mortal wound, if 6 was rolled, deal d3 Mortal wounds instead. Very strong. Hordes will cry against this, and it even moves 14 inches and flies. While the enemy can certainly send it right back at you, if you have it go over his whole battleline, then he'll have to run it through his lines AGAIN to whack you with it, forcing him to move it away, which could endanger his backline if they're too close. Casting value of 7, making it annoying to dispel without buffs. Overall, an excellent choice. Plus, even if it does trample your guys, your guys have the sustain to tank it, the enemy doesn't. And it's not even expensive.

==Warscrolls==
The common keywords of these warscrolls are '''DEATH''' and '''FLESH-EATER COURTS'''. Apart from the Ghoul King (in all his variants), the Terrorgheist and the Zombie Dragon all the units also have the '''MORDANT''' keyword.

===Leaders===

====Abhorrants====

These are your typical leader Heroes. Each of them comes with a Command Ability and each is a wizard. Though none of them can use summoning magic as such, each Abhorrant variant can summon new units. Ghouls for the footslogger, Crypt Horrors/Flayers for the one on Terrorgheist, Courtiers for the one on Zombie Dragon and any of your choice for the Archregent. Thanks to the non-existence of summoning magic in this army, these Commands are the only way to set up entirely new units. Compare Commands and unique spells to find out which ones you want to have in your army.

*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls/AoS_Flesh-eater_Courts_Warscroll_card_Abhorrent_Ghoul_King_on_Royal_Terrorgheist.pdf Abhorrant Ghoul King on Terrorgheist]:''' (420pts) This count also as '''Behemoth'''. Oh heck yes. The Ghoul King adds a lot to the already powerful Terrorgheist, such as magic and a Command Ability. This guy can grant a 5+ save-after-the-save to a Flesh-Eater unit and can summon new units of Crypt Flayers or Crypt Horrors. Other than that, it's a Wizard, it has a Command and it has three powerful melee profiles in addition to a dangerous not-a-breath-attack. Remember, his command ability has some serious utility. Flayers have a ranged attack, which while bad at long range, will do some damage. Horrors are not bad, and can divert your opponent's attention and effort from your mainline, even worse if they get a charge off.

*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls/AoS_Flesh-eater_Courts_Warscroll_card_Abhorrent_Ghoul_King_on_Royal_Zombie_Dragon.pdf Abhorrant Ghoul King on Zombie Dragon]:''' (440pts) This count also as '''Behemoth'''. Exactly what it says on the tin. Just like the variety on the Terrorgheist, this one here has some seriously powerful buffs. First of all, as a Command, he can summon new Courtiers OF ANY TYPE (who can then proceed to summon more foot soldiers). Then, his unique spell makes a 10" bubble centered on the Ghoul King which grants rerolls To Wound to ALL Flesh-Eater models. On top of that, the Zombie Dragon heals D3 Wounds each Hero Phase. Both mounted Ghoul Kings are excellent choices, but eat points REALLY fast. This King's command ability is excellent. To put it simply; ALWAYS summon a Varghulf Courtier. He's a high damage fighter, who replenishes ALL your guys, is fast, and still gets a Look Out Sir! This summon should be used wisely, and can be used for multiple ways. Maybe an ambushing unit of ghouls needs a hero's Forward To Victory, or a Blisterskin Flayers unit wants a Feeding Frenzy buff but are too far. This can go a long way.

*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls/AoS_Flesh-eater_Courts_WSCards_Abhorrant_Ghoul_King.pdf Abhorrant Ghoul King]:''' (160pts) Not that murderous when compared to a Vampire Lord in terms of killing power, but absolutely amazing when compared to the average Wizard. Their unique spell grants a Flesh-eater unit one more attack with each melee weapon, which makes Crypt Ghouls and Horrors better and Varghulfs terrifying, but if you cast this on a Ghoul King on Terrorgheist, he'll pluck whole units apart by himself. Another thing that needs to be addressed is that a Ghoul King is a fucking cockroach. 6 Wounds at a 4+ save and a regeneration of D3 Wounds a turn means the enemy either dedicates entire war machine salvos to kill this guy or he'll be good as new two turns later. Sure he can't go toe-to-toe with an Ironjaws Megaboss (who can?), but he'll survive stuff that could easily overkill most other buffers and wizards. His command ability seems weak, but can be very strong in Morgaunt. 10 Ghoul units get an extra attack if close enough to a Courtier, significantly increasing their damage output. Furthermore, these units can claim objectives and just be incredibly annoying. Plus it's free if used closeby the Charnel Throne.

*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls/AoS_Flesh-eater_Courts_WSCards_Abhorrant_Archregent.pdf Abhorrant Archregent]:''' (240pts) Essentially a souped-up footslogger Ghoul King. Has an extra wound and attacks, but his major advantage over the vanilla one is his magic, with the ability to cast an extra spell and a variant of the Ghoul King's spell that grants d3 attacks. Also heals a flat three wounds per turn. He also combines the summoning abilities of all the different Abhorrent Ghoul Kings. He can either summon a unit of 20 Ghouls, 3 KNIGHTS or a Courtier. This adds a degree of flexibility mid-game. If you take one, place him close to the (free) charnel throne to use his summon ability without paying a CP. Remember, he is NOT a dedicated fighting hero, but he can do some work. Try not to risk him in melee. His support value is just too good. He's basically a direct upgrade over a foot Ghoul King. And don't forget, he can regenerate 3 wounds. The Ghoul King's a cockroach? Fuck that noise. This guy will never die unless your opponent truly commits to murdering him off the board. Remember, his command ability is crazy versatile. Use it wisely, according to the situation at hand.
**Also, remember that as his spell and the normal foot Ghoul King's are different, they stack. A potential 4 extra attacks on a unit is ruinous, especially with feeding frenzy.

====Courtiers====

Courtiers are more support Heroes and beatsticks, not proper leader types and thus come without any Command Abilities or magic. What they do is still very important though, as of they can Resurrect Slain Models, as of second edition. Keep in mind though that they cannot set up new units, only the Ghoul Kings can do that. This is not to say your Courtiers are less important though as they can, for example, add Ghouls to a unit until it gets its Battalion Strength back. As they don't have the Monster Keyword despite appearances, they all benefit from Look Out Sir.

*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls/AoS_Flesh-eater_Courts_WSCards_Varghulf_Courtier.pdf Varghulf Courtier]:''' (160pts) The most versatile of all the courtiers - The Varghulf flies, has a 10" move and a bunch of strong attacks with more if it's in melee with ten or more models. This courtier is at it's best supporting your knights and serfs against chaff and mass battleline - with the aforementioned attacks bonus, Feed on Dark Magic, and Feeding Frenzy (not to mention artifacts to bump up it's attack potential), you are looking at an excellent battleline buster. Don't let him get into combat with tough hammer units or heavy-hitting monsters - 8 wounds and a 5+/6++ save goes far too quickly. It heals D3 Wounds at the end of each combat phase where it slew any enemies and can reroll To Hit if an '''ABHORRANT''' casts a spell within 18" of him (Feed on Dark Magic). Oh, and unlike other courtiers, he can muster Flayers, Horrors, and Ghouls. An excellent summoning choice - summon it in near units in combat at the table edge, in range for Feeding Frenzy, or place it range to support mass Ghouls - a very versatile part of the FEC army.

*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls/AoS_Flesh-eater_Courts_WSCards_Crypt_Ghast_Courtier.pdf Crypt Ghast Courtier]:'''(60pts) A teeny tiny Ghoul champion upstart. That's what he is. He has a bunch of weak attacks and is still somewhat fragile for a Hero, with 4 Wounds and a 5+ save, similar to a Loonboss. His real use is in resurrecting, on average, 5 Ghouls per Hero Phase (yes, that means you can heal Ghoul units back to the point where their size-bonus activates) and he makes them stronger if he personally kills an enemy. Only use this as a last resort, though, as his reviving is superb and he's too fragile to risk in melee.

*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls/AoS_Flesh-eater_Courts_WSCards_Crypt_Haunter_Courtier.pdf Crypt Haunter Courtier]:''' (120pts) A slightly stronger Crypt Horror champion who can summon more of his flunkies. That last part alone is already cool, as Crypt Horrors are very powerful, but the fact that the Courtier is strong in melee and regenerates should not be forgotten. If he is your general, Crypt Horror Becomes '''battleline'''; With AOS2 making it so everyone can use Command Abilities, you won't feel that you're losing something when you make him your general. The Gutbusters Gorger model will make for a perfect Crypt Haunter Courtier if you don't want to go the conversion/special paint job route. Equip him with a high-rend weapon from Malign Sorceries and keep near an '''ABHORRANT''' for rerolls to hit and he'll destroy almost anything he comes up against.

*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls/AoS_Flesh-eater_Courts_WSCards_Crypt_Infernal_Courtier.pdf Crypt Infernal Courtier]:''' (120pts) Blessed with everything a Crypt Flayer needs to be good. 5 attacks with 2 damage already make him as good as a small squad of normal Crypt Flayers and instead of a milquetoast Bravery-scream, he breathes fire. This guy is an absolute powerhouse AND he can Resurrect Crypt Flayers. If he is your general, Crypt Flayer Becomes '''battleline'''.

===Hollowmourne===

'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls/aos_the_grymwatch_en.pdf Duke Crackmarrow]:''' Monster hunter from Beastgrave. You have to take this guy and his band (the grymwatch that we will analyze later) for 120 points. While those bands usually suck when used into normal battles, this guys are really good in what they do. The Duke had a fine weapon, the halberd (2",3A,3+,3+,-1,2D) which makes him a good hero killer, but a really terrifying monsters killer, adding one to his damage if he attacks a '''monster'''. If you play him into a Flesh-eater court army, you add many ways to give him extra attacks with spells and also make him attack again. Don't get fooled, if rightly buffed this guy can take down many monsters in one turn. Also, he can easily Resurrect his companion, rolling six dice and for every 2+ Resurrect a model. This means that you will probably refill the unit even if just a guy survived. Note also that you can use them in every army as mercenary, and this isn't such a bad idea.

===Troops===

Unlike their unit entries in Grand Alliance: Death, the Flesh-Eater Courts cannot use summoning magic as their warscrolls kept the summoning spells on them or have the Summonable Keyword. Not to fear though, you can still pile heaps of new models onto the table with this army.

====Serfs====
*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls/AoS_Flesh-eater_Courts_WSCards_Crypt_Ghouls.pdf Crypt Ghouls]:''' ('''Battleline''' Min:10 Max:40 100/360pts) Your basic infantry and not too shabby, all things considered, especially since just about everything in this army either makes these little guys better or allows you to toss more of them onto the board. They get two attacks each with a third if the unit's big enough and they have a 6+ save, which may sound bad but is actually pretty good because that means unlike, say, Zombies, Ghouls can actually make use of <s>cover and</s> Mystic Shield. If you want to capitalize on Ghouls, just remember to bring some Crypt Ghast Courtiers to keep your units nice and big and remember that all in all, the save-after-the-save buff of the Terrorgheist-Ghoul King is probably better than a simple Mystic Shield at keeping your Ghouls on the board longer.

*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls/aos_the_grymwatch_en.pdf Grymwatch]:''' (Disclaimer! They aren't serfs, but being basically a different flavor of crypt ghouls I put them here for making my work easier) at a first look these guys are the looser version of the ghouls. 5 of them attack with bone weapons (1",2A,4+,4+,/,1D) and the bats with their fangs (1",d6A,4+,4+,/,1D). Their attacks are quite bad indeed, but then you read their abilities and everything change. This guy's weapons deal 2 damage instead of one on Monsters. You are probably playing them in a Flesh-eater army, so there are many ways to get extra attacks and attack twins in the combat phase. These guys then turn into a really good unit of monsters slayer, with the only downside of don't have rend at all. Also, their second ability is to take wounds at a 4+ instead of their hero, the Duke. Consider to use them as a health bar, because only the Duke is an incredible monsters slayer all of his own.

====Knights====
*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls/AoS_Flesh-eater_Courts_WSCards_Crypt_Horrors.pdf Crypt Horrors]:''' ('''Battleline''' if a Crypt Haunter Courtier is your General Min:3 Max:12 130pts) . Simply put, Crypt Horrors are Ogre equivalents. 4 Wounds, 5+ save. 3 attacks with no Rend and 2 Damage each. You know, the usual. These here also regenerate and get rerolls To Hit if a Ghoul King is nearby, thereby eliminating their only real weakness. Take this first. Flayers are also useful, but more gimmicky skirmishers compared to the powerful sledgehammers the Crypt Horrors are.

*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls/AoS_Flesh-eater_Courts_WSCards_Crypt_Flayers.pdf Crypt Flayers]:''' ('''Battleline''' if a Crypt Infernal Courtier is your General Min:3 Max:12 170pts). Their melee profile is the same as that of Horrors with one more attack, but with only damage 1 and rend and the chance to inflict mortal wounds. Then you see that they have a scream attack that inflicts mortal wounds equal to the bravery they beat on a 2d6(-2 on the roll if not within 3" of the target). Then you finally realize they're not meant to be powerhouses. They're harassers and tarpits, just like Razorgors for the Beastmen and are very useful when summoned via Command Ability, because they are fast enough to close the distance quickly.

===Behemoths===

Unlike the versions in Grand Alliance: Death, the warscrolls for this army actually have the Flesh-Eater Courts keywords and are thus susceptible to the awesome buffs you dish out. Never forget that, as it gives you an enormous edge.

*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls/AoS_Flesh-eater_Courts_Warscroll_card_Royal_Terrorgheist.pdf Royal Terrorgheist]: '''(Optional Battleline if Gristlegore. 300) It's powerful, with its Shriek being downright terrifying. <s>3D6 minus Bravery mortal wounds, eh? That'll halve a Liberator unit on average.</s> Unfortunately, someone at GW noticed just how powerful this was and now it's 6+D6 minus Bravery Mortal Wounds. And while this has dramatically cut down on the maximum damage, it has also made it much more reliable. They also decided to make the Terrorgheist's regeneration dependent on having a Ghoul King of any kind close by, but in exchange, they gave it a better 4+ save and even stronger attacks than before. It also explodes into a bunch of mortal wounds when it dies, which can make your opponent hesitate to finish it off, at which point it will regenerate and eat his sorry ass. In short, a Terrorgheist has the works: High flying Move, lots of wounds with a good save, very high damage, a dangerous shriek and if run alongside a mounted Ghoul King, great regen.
**This is Battline if you're playing Gristlegore. Just show up to a 2000 point game with 7 models on the table and smile at your opponent.

*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls/AoS_Flesh-eater_Courts_Warscroll_card_Royal_Zombie_Dragon.pdf Royal Zombie Dragon]:''' (Optional Battline: if Gristlegore 300) Don't. Scroll way up. Play this thing with the Ghoul King on top. Seriously, the Ghoul King adds so much to this thing it isn't funny. As in, another melee profile, powerful regeneration, magic, and a Command Ability.
**Except in the case of Gristlegore when this thing becomes Battleline. BATTLELINE DRAGONS. It's like the weird lovechild of Beastclaw Raiders and Order Draconis!

===Scenery===

*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls/AoS_Flesh-eater_Courts_WSCards_Scenery_Charnel_Throne.pdf Charnel Throne]:''' Gives +1 bravery to Flesh-Eater units within 1" and -1 bravery to anybody else. If an Abhorrant Ghoul King or Archregent is within 1 inch of it (Recommended to sit on the throne itself for badass points) they get to use their summoning command ability for free. This doesn't apply to the mounted Ghoul King command abilities, so no cheesing. While it seems shit at first glance, there's actually gold hidden in that pile of shit. Using command abilities for free is incredible, because those saved Command Points WILL add up to a TON of points, which means a LOT of Feeding Frenzies and other command abilities over the whole game. The other effects rarely come up due to how aggressively the Flesh-Eater Courts play, but could be useful. And remember, that Charnel Throne? That big, ostentatious and grand chair? It's denying space to that tree-humping Sylvaneth bastard, so you can go ahead and kiss your throne and thank it for watching your ass.

==Battalions==
===Royal Family===
''Found in the Flesh-eaters Courts Battletome.''

'''''An Abhorrant Archregent, Abhorrant Ghoul King on Royal Terrorgheist or an Abhorrant Ghoul King on Royal Zombie Dragon and between 2 and 6 Abhorrant Ghoul Kings''''' (Min: 560; Max: 1400)

Your basic leader Battalion buffs nearby Courtier muster abilities. Really only useful for larger games or an elite focused army. If you have a bunch of the old Strigoi Ghoul King models lying around, by all means, play it.

===Attendants at Court===
''Found in the Flesh-eaters Courts Battletome.''

'''''A Crypt Haunter Courtier and two units of Crypt Horrors''''' (Min: 550; Max: 1510)

A very nice formation. Their reroll To Hit abilities, which normally hinge on a Ghoul King being close by, are now always active in this Battalion.

===Deadwatch===
''Found in the Flesh-eaters Courts Battletome.''

'''''A Crypt Infernal Courtier and 3 units of Crypt Flayers''''' (Min: 740; Max: 2270)

Slightly bigger Battalion but worth it, as it allows one unit to pile in and attack in your Hero Phase as well as in the Combat Phases. Turns their decent attacks into terrifying attacks.

===Abattoir===
''Found in the Flesh-eaters Courts Battletome.''

'''''A Crypt Haunter Courtier, two units of Crypt Horrors and a unit of Crypt Ghouls''''' (Min: 660; Max: 1880)

Roll a D6 for every enemy ''model'' within 3" of any model from this battalion at the end of the combat phase. On a 6, their unit takes a Mortal Wound. That's a lot more chance to mortal wounds than it was previously as you'll rolling in both your turn and your opponent's, plus it can trigger the same turn you charge into combat. This is, again, in addition to any other damage they will do during the game.

===Ghoul Patrol===
''Found in the Flesh-eaters Courts Battletome.''

'''''A Crypt Ghast Courtier and 3 units of Crypt Ghouls''''' (Min: 540; Max: 1320)

Lets any unit from the battalion outflank. In your first movement phase, you must set them up within 6" of ''any'' table edge.

===King's Ghouls===
''Found in the Flesh-eaters Courts Battletome.''

'''''A Crypt Ghast Courtier, a unit of Crypt Horrors and 2 units of Crypt Ghouls''''' (Min: 600; Max: 1600)

Only lets you ignore battleshock while close to the Courtier now, which may not last long unless you can hide it (behind the Horrors for example). But with command points being so useful now, it may be worth it for the Inspiring Presence saving.

===Royal Mordants===
''Found in the Flesh-eaters Courts Battletome.''

'''''A Varghulf Courtier, a unit of Crypt Horrors, a unit of Crypt Flayers and a unit of Crypt Ghouls''''' (Min: 710; Max: 1960)

In your hero phase, one unit from the battalion wholly within 16" if the Varghulf may make a normal move. Watch your Crypt Flayers fly from one end of the board to the other in one turn :-)

===Royal Menagerie===
''Found in the Flesh-eaters Courts Battletome.''

'''''3 or more Royal Terrorgheists or Royal Zombie Dragons in any combination''''' (Min: 1020; Max: no max)

Each model may heal D3 wounds if they are within 5" of any other model from the battalion. Keep an ABHORRANT nearby and your Terrorgheists will be healing 2D3 wounds in each of your hero phases!
Also, Designer's Commentary has stated that '''GRISTLEGORE''' monsters that are Battleline are NOT Behemoths, so there really is no limit to how big this battalion can be.

===Cannibal Court===
''Found in the Flesh-eaters Courts Battletome.''

'''''1 of each of the following battalions: Royal Family, Attendants at Court, Deadwatch, Abattoir, Ghoul Patrol, King's Ghouls, Royal Mordants and Royal Menagerie''''' (Min: 5730; Max: )

For the filthy rich. If your general is an Archregent or Ghoul King from this battalion, it also has the command abilities of any other units from this battalion. Really nothing to write home about, as this basically means they will have one extra summon of 10 ghouls during the battle. Whoo.

===King Vlagorescu's Ghoulish Host===
''Found in the King Vlagorescu's Ghoulish Host box.''

'''''An Abhorrant Ghoul King on Terrorgheist, a Varghulf Courtier, a unit of Crypt Horrors, a unit of Crypt Flayers and a unit of Crypt Ghouls''''' (Min: ; Max: )

The same reform ability the Royal Mordants get and more interestingly the entire Battalion has a chance of piling in and attacking in your Hero Phase.

===Flesh-Eater Courts Royal Hunt===
''Found in Flesh-Eater Courts Starter Kit''
''''''1 Ghoul King on Terrorgheist, 1 Unit of Crypt Horrors, 1 Unit of Crypt Ghouls'''''' (Min: ; Max: )
+1 to attacks by any model of the hunt in 10" of King - No obvious Battalion cost at this stage

===The Arcasanctorian Guard===
''Found in Carrion Empire''
'''''An Abhorrant Archregent, a unit of 3 Crypt Flayers, a unit of 3 Crypt Horrors, and a unit of 20 Crypt Ghouls''''' (Min:840 ; Max:840)

Units from this Battalion reroll failed charges and don't take battleshock. For 110 points, in addition to the exacting unit size restrictions, this is utter garbage.

==Army Building==

Just buy two Start Collecting! boxes to start. That's it, you will get 20 Ghouls, a practically obligatory big monster, three Crypt-ids and a Courtier of your choice, there you have an 900 points army, excluding the additional big monster, which you could use to make a Vampire Lord on Zombie Dragon and a Ghoul King on foot (this last guy will fill your 100 points army perfectly) and two spared Crypt models. Here you have enough saving to buy yet another SC! box, mainly for the extra Ghouls and Crypt guys. From there, you can freely go crazy.

The new nightfeast hunter box is a good deal as well! 20 Ghouls and 3 Crypt for $65 US. Though at this point, the Start Collecting! Box is only a little more, and you'll get the Terrorgheist, but only ten ghouls.

If you chose the Terrorgheist, a good next step would be three boxes Crypt Horrors. Build one as a Crypt Haunter Courtier and the other eight as Crypt Horrors. This supplies you with an Abattoir Battalion, some Crypt Ghasts and a big monster-riding general.

If you chose the Zombie Dragon, you may want to add some Crypt Flayers instead. Have your general summon a new Crypt Infernal Courtier every turn and have them summon Crypt Flayers until all your models are in play.

If you chose to build the foot-slogger, get another such kit asap, build both monsters as Terrorgheists and put the second Ghoul King on the second bat, since normal Terrorgheists profit massively from having a Ghoul King on monster along for the ride.

==="Royal" Air Force===
For competitive play (2000pts) try this list, I've played several battles (vs order and chaos armies) and still have to find this armies adversary.

- Battlescroll: Deadwatch
6 Crypt Flayers
6 Crypt Flayers
9 Crypt Flayers
1 Crypt Infernal Coutier
- Abhorrant Ghoul King on Terrorgheist
- Varghulf Coutier

This army is fast, all of them fly, regenerates units (flayers) and is full of possible mortal wounds dealing which are quit the deal.
Normal set up would be the 9 flayers in the middle with the 6 flayers each covering its flanks.
the Infernal (who has to be the general in order to make flayers battleline) and the varghulf hug each other and if possible cover behind the 9 flayers for adding losses. The Abhorrant Ghoul King on Terrgheist can be used for support on a flank though keep him close to the frontline for his delicious spell for 5++ save against all kinds of (mortal)wounds. Now with the Deathless minions rules you get for having the Death Allegiance from the Generals Handbook <s>(actually, because you have to have the Flesh-Eater Courts allegiance in order for Flayers to be Battleline, you can't use any of the Death allegiance abilities, you can only pick one allegiance)</s>(see General's Handbook FAQ)(See Also, the thing in the actual Flesh-Eater Courts allegiance concerning Mortal Wounds), you'll have a 6++ (5++ if you choose or roll that one command trait for your general) save against wounds and mortal wounds. Enjoy your '''9 flayers with 5+, 5++, 6++/5++''' with casualty replenishment for each '''5+ on 12 dice''' all the while they deal wounds and mortal wounds '''both in close combat and your hero phases'''! I've seen them tear down Alarielle due to volumes of attacks and those delicious mortal wounds. Watch out for negative modifiers against your flayers (they'll lose the mortal wounds on 6s when they have a -1 to hit) and protect your Infernal and Varghulf!
Negative modifiers do not prevent you from generating mortal wounds with your flayers as the ability states it happens on an unmodified roll of a 6

Beware though, Deadwatch has been massively nerfed, since now only 1 unit of Flayers can attack per hero phase. Don't let it stop you from playing this, but it's definitely weaker than it used to be.

===One SC Army===

Actually you can get your first 980 pts army with one "SC" box and "Endless Spells" box:

Just build your Crypt guys as Crypt Haunter Courtier and Crypt Infernal Courtier. Also you can build your Crypt Ghast Courtier with reamining parts and some green stuff. Choose Gristlegore Grand Court and take your Ghoul king and Terrorgheist separately.

List:

Leaders:
- Abhorrant Ghoul King(160pts)
- Crypt Ghast Courtier(60pts)
- Crypt Haunter Courtier(120pts)
- Crypt Infernal Courtier(120pts)
Units:
- 10 Crypt Ghouls(100) -''battleline''
Behemoths:
- Gristlegore Royal Terrorgheist(300pts) -''battleline''
Endless spells:
- Chalice of Ushoran(50pts)
- Corpsemare Stampede(70pts)

'''Total points''':980

Another option is to buy one "SC" box and one Abhorrant Archregent, which can build a 990 points list:

Build one of the ghouls as a Crypt Ghast Courtier. To complete the unit of 10 Crypt Ghouls, either build one from bits and green stuff, or get a single ghoul from eBay or similar. Build the 3 bigger guys as Crypt Flayers, and the behemoth as an Abhorrant Ghoul King on Royal Terrorgheist.

List:

Grand Court: Blisterskin
- Abhorrant Archregent (240 pts)
- Abhorrant Ghoul King on Royal Terrorgheist (420 pts)
- Crypt Ghast Courtier (60 pts)
- 10x Crypt Ghouls (100 pts) - ''battleline''
- 3x Crypt Flayers (170 pts) - ''battleline''

'''Total points:''' 990

As a next step, look at getting a Varghulf Courtier. The Abhorrant Archregent can summon it, and it returns slain models to either battleline unit.

==Allied Armies==

*The logical choice for allies would, of course, be other Death units. You can only ally '''Deadwalkers''', '''Deathlords''' and '''Deathmages'''.

*Corpse Carts and Mortis Engines provide solid allies that boost your casting, which is crazy good for Flesh-Eaters who rely a LOT on magic. Mortis Engines are probably best, since they are tough, boost casting, can deal lots of mortal wounds and can heal your guys. Corpse Carts are a little squishy and don't do much other than buff Deadwalkers units, which you have little use for.

*Dire Wolves are decent, being relatively fast. HOWEVER, as badass as undead royal hunting hounds may look like ,they synergize not even a little bit with your guys. Try not to use them. Zombies are pretty meh, as they require you to commit a lot of resources into making them work, while your ghouls work so much better with your army.

*You've got access to the Mortarchs too. Out of all of them, Arkhan is probably best. Mannfred is expensive as hell, and has little utility since he's mostly a magic and combat beatstick, which isn't what your army really needs. Neferata is decent, but then you'd be pissing off Ushoran, although her Twilight's Allure command ability and her unique spell is solid support. Arkhan is best because he's not too expensive, and can cast your Flesh-Eater spells, if he's close enough to your wizards, while having a boosted unbind/casting roll. Sure, he's not gonna do much damage in combat like Mannfred, but who needs to when you have Curse of Years?

*Morghast Archai and Harbingers are decent, but once again, they have little synergy with your army. They're not bad for anti-armor though, especially those sweet 2 rend halberds, which can help cover your lack of armor piercing.

*Don't use a Necromancer. Just don't. None of his keywords work with yours. The Mortis Engine, however, is just plain great.

*'''Big Drogg Fort-Kicka''': A Gatebreaker Mega-Gargant available to all Death factions as an ally. Functions like Gotrek in the Order factions where he uses up your whole allies allowance in exchange for a very destructive monster of a unit. His most important feature is the ability to destroy terrain, including faction terrain. He also has a unique breath attack that attacks one unit within 3" at the end of the combat phase; roll a dice for each model in the unit and deal 1MW on a 6+.

{{Age_of_Sigmar_Tactics}}

Age of Sigmar/Tactics/Death/Flesh-Eater Courts

2020-10-26T13:40:02Z

2406:3400:20F:FFC0:1C9F:B1D1:F985:39CC: /* Cons */

{{Age of Sigmar Faction|Faction=Flesh-Eater Courts|Logo=Flesh-Eater 01.png|Alliance=Death|Motto=The Noble Sir Marrowslurp charging into battle! Huzzah!}}

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==Why Play Flesh-Eaters Courts==

Imagine this. A glorious army of marching men-at-arms, disciplined, stoic and determined as they storm forward in organized ranks, watched by the steely eyes of their heroic commanders. By their side, mighty knights clad in full battle plate, resplendent in their shining armor, stomp across the ground with massive bejeweled two-handed weapons in hand, led by the strongest and boldest of their Champions. Above, warriors with angelic wings soar through the sky, intoning prayers and hymns of praise to their gods and their sovereign, filling all with pride to be in the court. Even holy beasts such as gryphons and majestic dragons take flight, their great bellows an inspiration to the humble men below. At the heads of the army, stands the King. Wearing fine armor and plate, he strides forward with confidence and utmost conviction, ready to put those who threaten his people to the sword.

Of course, that's what they think. And it's probably why you're here.

In reality, it's a terrifying horde of stinking, pallid creatures. Swarms of ghouls compete with each other to be first into the fray, scrabbling at their enemies desperately, dragging and tearing apart their enemies. Huge cannibals charge into the fight, shattering the battle line with their charge. Horrid, flying monsters impale unfortunates, while giant undead dragons and terrorgheists cut bloody swathes through formations of troops. At the head of it all, stand the proud ghoul kings and archregents. Inhumanly fast and durable, such bestial vampires rip apart scores of foes with horrifying ease, while their so-called holy prayers and spells take the form of dark death magic laced with the traces of their delusion.

Welcome to the court. And welcome to the feast.

===Pros===
* You can play an army of [[Nemesor Zahndrekh]] turned up to 100 with a sprinkling of cannibalism.
* They favor an aggressive playstyle. In fact, they can give the Daughters of Khaine a run for their money.
* You want to play an undead faction that doesn't (exclusively) serve [[Nagash|the big, bony douchebag]].
* You dish out Mortal Wounds like they were candy. For a good example, there's the Abhorrant Ghoul King on Royal Terrorgheist. With the right combination, he can get Always Strikes First and deal 20+ MORTAL WOUNDS from his Terrorgheist's Gaping Jaw!
* Their insane nature opens up many narrative ideas for your battles, as well as conversion opportunities.
**This isn't limited to knights in shining armor either. The new Seraphon battletome mentions a court who are convinced they are Saurus Warriors.
* With Bravery 10, they'll only run if they're pounded into the ground and even then there's a chance they'll stand.

===Cons===
* As is typical of Death faction armies, your heroes are the lynchpin. If you lose them, it's an uphill battle, even moreso than normal Death factions, as they have summoning magic but you don't anymore.
* Low saves everywhere. Even your heroes have lower saves than their equivalents in other armies. They're the glass cannon of Death armies.
* Expect accusations of being a tier-whore as they're quite good in the competitive meta.

==Rulebooks==
{{AOSRulebooks|tome=Flesh-Eater Courts (2019)|points=[https://www.warhammer-community.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/d6f53cb2.pdf Flesh-Eater Courts Errata]}}

==General Thoughts==
So, how do the Flesh-Eater Courts look? This battletome, while seemingly lazily done, has actually gifted the sons of Ushoran a TON of ways to play. The Skaven kinda got the short end of the stick, being nerfed and having multiple ways of exploding, plus VERY restricted battleline. But us? Our battleline is incredibly flexible, and the Grand Courts do an incredible job of changing our playstyles. As such, this book is a ton of fun, plus the lore's amazing.

Some general tips that should be noted for new Flesh-Eater players:
This army is hilariously easy to build up thanks to the Start Collecting! Flesh-Eater Courts box, which gives everything you need, and if you have a Skaven friend, Carrion Empire is another incredible deal. If you can, try getting the Nightfeast Hunters Skirmish box as well.

The lore of this army is fucking awesome. It's easily one of the most unique. So experiment! Try all kinds of things with your lore. Go insane, it's in theme.

Models wise, the army is still great. But when painting the inevitable horde of ghouls, try taking breaks now and then between your batches of ghouls by painting your heroes or monsters or horrors. It really helps break the monotony of painting ghouls. And don't be afraid to convert! Your guys are completely crazy, so go nuts with conversions! The Varghulf model is incredibly old but still good, but if you wish, there are tons of cool models that fit on 60mm bases that work great as a conversion! Don't forget, your courtiers must be made from the same boxes as your normal mooks, so plan out in advance how you're gonna build your boxes. For example, in my case: I had 3 boxes of Crypt Horrors/Flayers, and I used the parts inside to build 3 Crypt Horrors, 3 Flayers and 2 Haunter Courtiers and 1 Infernal Courtier. For Ghast Courtiers, try finding conversions, because you do NOT want to take that single model out of your ghoul blob and be left with 19 odd ghouls, consider the Grymmwatch set, since it comes with 6 unique and very distict ghoul models. Currently the official base size for Ghast Courtiers is 32mm, so keep that in mind.

In terms of playstyle, I have no idea why but a LOT of FEC players have this weird Blisterskin Flayer or Gristlegore Monster Mash fetish. Keep in mind, Flayers are NOT reliable whatsoever. Same with your monsters. This will be touched upon again later. Large groups of flayers with the feeding frenzy command ability will put out an obscene amount of mortal wounds.

The most important part of the playstyle that should be remembered is this: Your units are overpriced like all hell for good reason. A unit of Horrors is the same cost as a Fellwater Troggoth unit that has outright better stats. Why? Because you can bring your Horrors back, they can't. You can summon entirely NEW units as well. So focus on that. Your units generally suck, and rely on synergies to bring out the best in them. There was a lot of crying about the new Feeding Frenzy being overpowered, but it's really useful at making flesh-eaters viable. SO remember: One of your greatest strengths is your numbers and sheer attrition power. There are few armies in the game that can throw so many bodies on the board, or regenerate so much, which is why you should try to focus on that.

Most importantly, have fun with the Courts of Ushoran! This is an incredibly cool army that also loves conversions, so let your imagination go wild!

==Allegiance Traits==

*'''Deathless Courtiers:''' Each time one of your units wholly within 12 inches of your general or friendly FEC hero takes a wound or mortal wound, they get an extra 6+ save. Classic Death allegiance ability. Not amazing, but it’s quite reliable and helps make up for your poor average save. Works with both courtiers and Abhorrants, so try to ensure that all of your MORDANTS are within range of any COURTIERS or ABHORRANTS to get the most out of this.

*'''Feeding Frenzy:''' It’s been HUGELY improved. It’s now a command ability that you can use immediately after any FLESH-EATER COURTS unit has piled in and made its attacks, wholly within 12" of any FLESH-EATER COURTS HERO, increased to 18" if the general uses the command ability. That unit gets to pile in and attack AGAIN! RIP AND TEAR! Normally your units are relatively weak, but with this you can seriously pump out good damage. However, this means that you need to spend your command points carefully. There’s also some serious utility with this ability, as piling in again means you get to effectively move 6 inches in the combat phase, allowing you to either attack vulnerable heroes, or pull your opponent’s shooting units into the fight. You can also use this to swarm objectives better with Crypt Ghouls, letting you claim them, especially since you will usually have a LOT of them. But be extremely careful that you don’t pull in your opponent’s stronger melee units.

*'''Court of Delusions:''' With this, you get to choose an ability for your entire army before choosing your command trait. Can drastically alter how you play your army, so choose...carefully. Notable this gives you a unique set of tactical options. Up against a gunline? go Crusading Army. Trolls? Royal hunt and so on.

#'''Crusading Army:''' You can add 1 to run and charge rolls for Flesh Eater Courts units. Solid, and can add up to a few extra made charges over the course of a game. Somewhat weaker than before, no free re-rolls unlike last time. Still solid, but pales a bit in comparison to The Feast Day (Will be discussed below).
#'''The Royal Hunt:''' Your entire army can reroll hit and wound rolls of 1 but only when attacking monsters. Ok, but extremely dependent on your opponent’s army (and by extension, your local meta). The main problem being that many of your units have innate access to re-rolls, such as crypt Horrors or ghouls, while Zombie Dragon Ghoul Kings could potentially cover re-rolling wound rolls. However, it’s better with your big monsters and Crypt Flayers, who have less access to re-rolls.
#'''The Feast Day:''' You can use the Feeding Frenzy command ability without spending a command point once per turn. Incredible. Also note that it doesn't specify a specific turn in which it applies... so you can use the command ability during your opponents turn once for free as well! You will always get mileage out of this one. By far best all-round delusion (once again excluding Grand Courts, but more on that below). It used to be so bad, but it’s now a great choice if you wish to save command points for other things, such as summoning more mordants or the generic ones.
#'''A Matter of Honour:''' Your units can reroll hit rolls of 1 when targeting heroes. If it's the enemy general you can reroll wound rolls of 1 too. Much more universal than Royal Hunt, so worth a look. Good choice, especially since it applies to your whole army. It’s generally a nice bonus, but might depend on what your opponent brings.
#'''The Grand Tournament:''' Heroes other than your general can reroll hit rolls of 1. It is specific and obviously only useful if you've got a bunch of heroes, but if that's the army you're running then it can hurt a lot. If you are running an Archregent, Foot AGK or Courtier General and at least one (two+ preferred) mounted AGKs, this could be worth it. Consider your heroes. The mounted AGKs will benefit a lot from this. Your foot AGKs are solid fighters, but remember that your Haunter Courtier is unlikely benefit much from this. Same with the Varghulf Courtier, both of whom usually have innate re-rolls. Overall, an honestly strong choice if you bring a lot of mounted AGKs. Not as much utility as The Feast Day or Crusading Army, but re-rolling those dreadful ones with your mounted Terrorgheist’s Fanged Maw is amazing.
#'''Defenders of the Realm:''' Reroll saves of 1 for all units with at least half of their models in your territory. Since you don't have much in the way of long-range attacks, you're probably going to need to be aggressive, so this won't be useful. Running this with King's Ghouls and two 40 Ghoul blocks could make for a more defensive army. Even if you have to be defensive, this isn’t that strong. Your units have weak saves across the board. HOWEVER, if you are really dead set on this, then consider what units will benefit most from it. Ghouls are unlikely to benefit much, but your monsters and ABHORRANTS will, with their solid 4+ saves. Once again, a somewhat situational delusion, but definitely has its uses.

The best delusion is The Feast Day, by far. Crusading Army and maybe The Grand Tournament might be worth a look depending on your list. The others tend to be too situational or don't offer anything else that FEC don't have access to via other means.

===Grand Courts===
Now instead of a delusion, you get to choose one of the the Grand Courts! Kind of like Beasts of Chaos Greatfrays or Stormcast Stormhosts. You get a specific delusion, a command trait, an artifact and your own command ability. So unlike the Delusions, you get a command ability to make up for the fact that you MUST take the command trait and artifact. All of them are pretty solid, and it means that you have a gigantic amount of customization for your army. These ones hugely change up your army’s playstyle.

====Morgaunt Grand Court====
*'''Ability: Blood Loyalty'''
Solid. Your MORGAUNT COURTIERS wholly within 12" of a MORGAUNT SERFS (your crypt ghouls) unit, re-roll hit rolls of 1. Haunter and Varghulf Courtiers have relatively easy access to re-rolls, unlike Ghast and Infernals, who will definitely benefit a lot. However, the best part of this ability is this: Your MORGAUNT SERFS wholly within 12" of your COURTIERs activate Boundless Ferocity at 10 or more models. Boundless Ferocity is the new fancy name for Battalion Strength, meaning that your ghouls get an extra attack (usually 3 attacks total), at 10+ models. This is incredibly useful, as it means that 20-ghoul blobs are viable, and summoning a ghoul unit may actually do something. Of course, be careful of the range. As well as the fact that ABHORRANTs cannot activate it, only COURTIER units can.

*'''Command Ability: Heaving Masses'''
Your opponent is going to destroy lots of ghouls. What do you do then? You bring even MOAR ghouls. You can use this command ability when any MORGAUNT SERFS unit is destroyed, and you roll a dice, on a 4+, you get to set up the exact same unit wholly within 6" of any edge of the battlefield, and 9" from enemies. This is actually really useful. The biggest weakness is that you're spending a command point for a 50% chance of bringing back a unit, which is risky, though better than those Hammers of Sigmar gits. The most obvious use is in gaining insane amounts of attrition pressure. BUuuut, you also should remember: You can choose ANY edge. There are a lot of ways to use this. If you have multiple units of 10-20 ghouls, you can try your luck with this to let those ghouls attack from unexpected angles, tying up shooty units, and possibly killing squishies, especially if you summon a COURTIER using an Archregent or zombie dragon ghoul king. Still great to use on big groups though. See the smaller groups as an ambush party of sorts. They have the flexibility and small footprint to go after your opponenent's backline, while having the damage (Keep Blood Loyalty in mind) to seriously dent stuff. Remember though, you can only use this when a unit is destroyed, so if the roll fails, those guys are permanently gone, so don't be a smartass trying to bring units back from the dead.

*'''Command Trait: Savage Chivalry'''
You can re-roll hit-rolls of 1 for your general if they are within 12" of a MORGAUNT SERFS unit. Look carefully at "WITHIN". Your Mounted ghoul kings just need a tiny part of their base to be within 12" and they get the re-rolls. Doesn't seem like a lot, but it's a very useful buff. But remember carefully who benefits most from this. Varghulf and Haunter Courtiers benefit little, so your best bet would be ABHORRANTs, but don't forget that this CANNOT affect a royal terrorgheist or zombie dragon mount. That said, it's not a jaw-droppingly good command trait, but you honestly can't go wrong with this. Reliable if a little boring.

*'''Artifact: Decrepit Crown'''
This special artifact which allows your units to ignore battleshock while WHOLLY within 12 inches of the wielder, 18 if the general Carries it. Most would dismiss this as weak since Death units have bravery 10 (which is awesome), but you’re playing crypt GHOULS. These guys die like flies, and while they won’t run like a Skaven, you will still lose a LOT to battleshock. This also saves your CPs from being used on Inspiring Presence. Your monsters don't care about battleshock, but Crypt Ghouls most certainly do. And while Crypt Horrors and Flayers don't usually care about battleshock, the fact that this still buffs them shouldn't be forgotten. Terrible battleshock rolls, heavy casualties, losing those Crypt Horrors/Flayers is PAINFUL. So this is honestly a great artifact.

Overall, a great Grand Court. Remember, this focuses a LOT on your Serfs/Crypt Ghouls, who are excellent at killing lightly-armored foes. For sample lists, you could try multiple units of 10-20 ghouls as screens and fodder to die for your bigger blocks of 30-40, and use Heaving Masses for them to either threaten objectives or threaten the enemy backline. Also, try bringing rending units, such as Flayers or monsters. In this kind of list, having a Courtier or two would be extremely useful, such as using an Archregent or Zombie Dragon Ghoul King's summon ability. Generally best to summon either Ghasts or Varghulfs, since they can replenish those units, AND use the Feeding Frenzy Command ability on said units.

====Hollowmourne Grand Court====
*'''Ability: Shattering Charge'''
Your COURTIER and KNIGHTS units get to re-roll wound rolls of 1 in turns that they charge. This is scary good at increasing your damage, and you can squeeze out all the mileage from this with Feeding Frenzy. All your COURTIERS benefit, but monsters like your Varghulf and Haunter Courtiers will go nuts with this. Your KNIGHTS, Horrors and Flayers both benefit hugely from this, especially because they pump out so many attacks. It's also worth mentioning that while your zombie dragon ghoul kings can cast his unique spell to get full re-rolls, it's not guaranteed to go off, and sometimes it may get unbound. While this shit? This shit means shit's going down son, guaranteed so long as you get that charge. Speaking of which...

*'''Command Ability: Ravenous Crusaders'''
You can pick any HOLLOWMOURNE unit wholly within 9" of a HERO or 18" of your general, and they get add 1 to run and charge rolls, and can even run and charge. This significantly increases your threat range, and gives you the flexibility to attempt long bomb charges. It also works with your units that you summoned, since they now just need an 8 to make a successful charge. However, this command ability requires you to THINK. Don't spam it or you will most definitely run out of command points. You don't always wish to throw your horror deathstar as fast as possible at your opponent. It's easy for your units to accidentally run OUT of your synergy and buff ranges, leaving them as easy pickings. So be very careful with this.

*'''Command Trait: Grave Robber'''
Once again, doesn't affect mounts. So no cheesing with your royal mounts. Your general adds 1 to attacks and damage while within 3" of enemy HEROES with an artifact of power. Even though it doesn't affect your mount, Abhorrant Ghoul Kings and Archregents actually benefit a LOT from this. They have a lot of attacks, so that added damage will hurt. However, it's difficult to get close to enemies with artifacts of power. So it might be really good on Varghulf Courtiers or mounted Kings, units that can fly and pick their fights. It's also worth remembering that your general doesn't need to attack the hero with an artifact, you can actually tear apart that unit your opponent was screening his hero with.

*'''Artifact: Corpsefane Gauntlet'''
When the model with this artifact charges, you can inflict D3 mortal wounds on a 2+ against ONE enemy unit within 1". It's a very small effect, since the bearer may not make that many charges. HOWEVER, there are some uses to this. Infantry units have the wounds to laugh it off, so pick your charges wisely. Monsters with damage tables would utterly hate taking D3 wounds, as it can knock them down a peg even before your guy swings. Heroes usually have about 5 wounds, and as such this can seriously hurt them. Squishy glass cannon units with lots of damage may also hate this, especially 1 wound units like Bestigors, Grimghast Reapers, Bladegheist Revennants, Bloodletters, heck, even Loonsmasha Fanatics.

In conclusion, quite a killy Grand Court. My personal favorite because I'm in love with Horrors. Ravenous Crusaders should be used wisely and as a sneaky trick, since you can use it to surprise your opponent with extended threat ranges. It's also very good for summoned units to fish for those 9" charges. These armies would probably like using a mounted ghoul king or varghulf courtier general to make use of Grave Robber, while the Corpsefane Gauntlet does great on anything, though aggressive heroes that will most certainly get stuck in will like this. Interestingly, Varghulf courtier or mounted king generals could get a lot of mileage by having having the Gauntlet, since they have the mobility to pick their targets and get to artifact-carrying heroes, while having the stats to massively benefit from the Grave Robber buffs. Don't forget, your Horrors become battleline if you choose this Grand Court. After some testing by the noble kings of the Grand Alliance community, it can be said that Hollowmourne is surprisingly strong. Deranged Transformation on one unit of 6 Horrors, Ravenous Crusaders on another unit of 6, allows for incredible mobility. Don’t use this to alpha strike, instead, use it as a scalpel. Such Horrors work great in an Attendants at Court battalion, use this to target enemies that your Horrors are good against, while the rest of your army moves into position.

====Blisterskin Grand Court====
*'''Ability: Blistering Speed'''
All your BLISTERSKIN units gain 2 inches of movement. This is honestly incredible. You will ALWAYS get a use out of this. There's little to be said, other than the fact that you will normally outrange your opponent in terms of threat range. This allows you to cross the board faster, and forces your opponent to play conservatively, as they have to watch for you, because with this, you have the ability to pick your fights with this kind of insane mobility.

*'''Command Ability: Lords of the Burning Skies'''
Used in the movement phase, you get to choose BLISTERSKIN unit with the FLY keyword. You can remove it from the battlefield and set it up again 9 inches away from any enemy models. They can't move after that. Nice. Unfortunately, being limited to flying units does restrict it quite a bit (Remember Spectral Host! Any unit can be given FLY via magic and popped anywhere you want!). Try not to use this for alpha strikes, as you have little ways to buff up an alpha strike to do it reliably or even kill the stuff you charge. Instead, the mere threat of it is a boon. Your opponent has to set up to prepare for any potential attacks from unexpected angles. Use it also for objective grabbing or you can set up your monsters/flayers a good distance away from the enemy such that they can't charge your units easily, while yours can (Your guys have a LOT of movement, so use it). It allows you to threaten your opponent and spread them thin. Don't forget, you can still shoot. Flayers get to shoot, and they can deal decent damage en masse, while Terrorgheists and Zombie Dragons have outright terrifying ranged attacks, especially the Terrorgheist.

*'''Command Trait: Hellish Orator'''
While this general is ON the battlefield, at the start of your hero phase roll a dice, on a 4+ you get a command point, in addition to your normal. Because we have no cap on CP generation, this is a great command trait. Especially with how CP hungry we are. This will always be useful, although it being random is a partial issue, of course, but it’s better than many other command traits. Try to ensure your general stays alive then, for example, an Archregent kept at the back, because if he’s dead (most mounted kings will eventually get targeted and hoses down) or deep striking (Zombie Dragon kings can do that), this trait won’t work.

*'''Artifact: Eye of Hysh'''
Subtract 1 from hit rolls for attacks made within missile weapons that target a friendly BLISTERSKIN unit wholly within 6” of the bearer. The biggest weakness is the 6” range. However, it does work on the Bearer himself. Can be situational, especially against melee-centric armies like Ironjawz or Khorne, but will usually get at least some mileage. Don’t try to brick up your entire army around the Bearer though, it will be extremely awkward and difficult considering the large footprints of your army. Still a decent artifact.

All in all, a great Grand Court with lots of utility based artifact and trait. It’s useful, although it’s strengths are not immediately obvious and require finesse in using. One of the most important things about this is the fact that Flayers become battleline. Generally, Blisterskin Flayer lists have become competitive, and are seen as surprisingly strong, due to a mix of excellent mobility, lots of mortal wounds and a LOT of armor piercing damage, while still able to clear hordes quickly.

==== Gristlegore Grand Court====
*'''Ability: Peerless Ferocity'''
If the unmodified hit roll for an attack made by a GRISTLEGORE hero or GRISTLEGORE monster is 6, that attack inflicts 2 hits on that target instead of 1. Make a wound and save roll for each hit. Insanely powerful when used with Ghoul kings on terrorgheists with gruesome bite. You can easily fish for Fanged Maw hits, and if you do get a hit roll of 6, your attack still explodes. However, one attack will be converted into 6 Mortal wounds and its attack sequence ends, while the other will make a wound roll as normal. It allows you to deal mortal wounds, followed by the chance to toss out some extra 2 rend damage. Add Feeding Frenzy, and you’ll see the reason why Mounted TG kings are now a staple in competitive play. However, try not to use this trick so much, it WILL lose you friends. Seriously, I’ve seen it.
Note: FAQs have confirmed that each effect will trigger ONCE. So as described above, 1 hit becomes 2, and one of those hits will trigger Gaping Maw.

*'''Command Ability: Call to War'''
If a friendly GRISTLEGORE hero or GRISTLEGORE monster that has not fought in a combat phase is slain while wholly within 12" of a friendly hero (or 18" of the general), you can use this command ability to let it pile-in move and then attack with all its melee weapons. You can use Feeding Frenzy right after Call to War, if you want to lose more friends. Very useful, especially if Monstrous Vigor is on that dead unit. It allows you to squeeze all the value out of your guys. Especially powerful on any Terrorgheist, because their bite doesn’t degrade as they get wounded. However, this should not be used every time you lose someone. Try only to use it for your stronger heroes/monsters, or you’re gonna waste Command points that could’ve been used for feeding frenzy on your healthier units.

*'''Command Trait: Savage Strike'''
This general fights at the start of the combat phase before the players pick any other units to fight in that combat phase on a turn they made a charge (via GHB2019 FAQ). This general cannot fight again in that combat phase unless an ability or spell allows it to fight more than once. This is exactly why Abhorrant Ghoul King on Terrorgheist generals are so powerful. <s>It takes priority even in your opponent’s combat phase, which is insane because you can still use Feeding Frenzy.</s> this isn't true anymore since it now only works when you charged. Once again, try not to cheese with this too much or you’ll literally be That Guy. There’s good reason why the FEC Start Collecting got sold out at LGS because of Legions of Nagash players.

*'''Artefect- Ghurish Mawshard'''
It's a d6 roll and if you roll over your targets wounds characteristic they're slain! Also ONCE PER BATTLE!!! Unfortunately this doesn't work on big things, so if you knock that Bloodthirstier down to 3 wounds remaining, you can't use this to finish it off since it has 14 wounds base on its warscroll). Also needs to be used at the start of the combat phase and 1" range.... Maybe worthwhile on something with a decent save, mortal wound negation and/or ethereal special rule. Still, versus a 3 wound model, it's a 50/50 chance.

Overall, a very strong Court. There was an errata where monsters without king riders don’t count towards Behemoth, which is crazy good. (Cry your hearts out Beastclaw raiders!). Even so, spamming monsters is not that cheesy, it’s when someone spams 2-3 Ghoul King’s on Terrorgheists all with gruesome bite, that’s just disgusting. But if you really want to smash someone you really don’t like, then that’s a good sample list for you.

==Command Traits==
There are now 2 tables: Royalty and Nobility.

'''Royalty: ABHORRANT HEROES only'''
#'''Bringer of Death:''' Your general can reroll wound rolls of 1. Pretty solid for a close combat monster general.
#'''Frenzied Flesh-eater:''' Reroll failed hits and wounds if there are any wounded models within 3". As wounds only get allocated one all of the unit's attacks have been resolved, reliability will depend greatly on how many multi-wound models your opponent is fielding.
#'''Savage Beyond Reason:''' Unmodified hit rolls of 6 explode into 2 automatic hits. Competes with Frenzied Flesh-Eater. This is also very good, since your abhorrants have so many attacks that they can do a LOT of damage with this. However, less reliable than Frenzied Flesh-Eater, since those 6s may not always happen.
#'''Majestic Horror:''' If you have a summoning Command Ability, use it for free. It will save you one command point. Which can actually mean a lot. It means that your Archregents/Ghoul Kings don't need to hang around the throne, or can work great with your mounted kings. It's not as game breaking as before, but you can hardly go wrong with a free command point.
#'''Dark Wizardry:''' Add 1 to the General's Casting, Dispelling and Unbinding rolls if they're a Wizard. This is nuts. It's an incredible command trait, especially for your Archregents, who can cast 2 spells AND unbind 2 spells a phase. This is probably the strongest and most reliable trait for a foot ABHORRANT hero, who usually prefer to support than fight. Your mounted kings work best with the more combat-oriented traits above, and even then, they may prefer this due to the fact that your kings aren't that scary in combat.
#'''Completely Delusional:''' Once per battle, if your general is still alive, you can change your current delusion to a new one. You cannot choose a Grand Court though. Actually quite good, as your delusions are actually solid. It does give you huge flexibility, for example, start with Crusading Army to NYOOOOOOM up the board, then change to Feast Day when getting stuck in. Or use Defenders of the Realm if you're expecting an alpha strike, then swap to Feast Day to boost your combat power. The possibilities are actually limitless.

Definitely a great table. Your close combat generals would appreciate almost any of the combat traits, Majestic Horror is a great utility trait that will always get work done no matter what, Dark Wizardry is just crazy good, while Completely Delusional is an incredibly strong trait that requires finesse to use but is greatly rewarding when used well. Archregents will love Dark Wizardry, that is a given.

'''Nobility: COURTIER HEROES only'''
#'''Bringer of Death:''' Your general can reroll wound rolls of 1. Pretty solid for a close combat general. Haunter and Infernal Courtiers will like it, and Varghulfs will love this.
#'''Frenzied Flesh-eater:''' Reroll failed hits and wounds if there are any wounded models within 3". See above.
#'''Savage Beyond Reason:''' Unmodified hit rolls of 6 explode into 2 automatic hits. This is great. Your Haunter Courtier has multi damage weapons that will love exploding dice, and your Varghulf Courtier will go nuts with this, thanks to his insanely high damage output, while your Infernal Courtier will certainly appreciate this.
#'''Hulking Brute:''' Add 1 to your general's wounds. Not bad. But generally quite unimpressive compared to the other options.
#'''Cruel Taskmaster:''' You can re-roll the dice when using the Muster ability. Less potent for a Ghast Courtier, since ghouls are regenerated on a 2+. However, this is a godsend for Haunter or Infernal Courtiers, since a re-rollable 5+ is technically equivalent to a 4+. Keep in mind that any dice can be rerolled, including successful rolls, so that Varghulf Courtier who brought back a bunch of ghouls can actually reroll the dice and fish for 5s and 6s. A very good trait. *Actually, if you reroll, you must reroll ALL the dice. So more of a safety net if you roll terribly than a constantly reliable trait.
#'''Dark Acolyte:''' You're a WIZARD, Harry! A flesh-eating and completely insane one, too. You also get to cast 1 spell, unbind 1 and know the Black Hunger spell. This is another insanely strong trait. Being a FLESH-EATER COURTS WIZARD means that you can cast Endless Spells, and you also know one spell from the Lore of Madness (More on that later). This is extremely good, but since feed on Dark Magic only triggers if an '''ABHORRANT''' casts a spell, it falls short in that regard.

Overall, a great set of command traits. This whole table generally does best with a Varghulf Courtier general, but the others can work. Combat generals should probably grab Savage Beyond Reason, while anything else should usually get Dark Acolyte. Cruel Taskmaster is crazy good but depends heavily on what you need. Usually, another wizard is better than rerolling your muster ability.

==Artifacts==
There are 2 sets of artifacts now, one for Abhorrants and one for Courtiers.

'''Royal Treasury: ABHORRANT HEROES only'''
#'''Signet of the First Court:''' Unmodified wound rolls of 6 by the general get damage increased by 1 for that attack. Most Abhorrants have a lot of attacks, so they can definitely get some serious mileage out of this. Somewhat overshadowed by the support artifacts, but great if you want a damage focused abhorrant.
#'''Splintervane Broach:''' Enemy Wizards within 12 subtract 1 from their casting rolls. Very nasty if you can get within range, but a lot of Wizards will just move out of range of it, so unreliable. Having said that, with the arrival of Malign Sorcery and increased focus on magic, this is definitely a more viable option than in AOS 1.0. If you are playing a one off against a magic heavy opponent or have a magic heavy local meta, it definitely bears consideration.
#'''Blood River Chalice:''' Once per game heal D6 wounds on your character. Best on a mounted ghoul kings who just shifted down a wound level to bounce him back up. It's a great artifact. Wasted on foot kings, who only have 6 wounds, or Archregents, who already heal 3 wounds instantly. This should always be given to mounted kings, who can heal D6 from this, then D3 from their Royal Blood ability, which can mean a TON of wounds recovered. Excellent artifact, you can get a ton of mileage out of this. In practice, many opponents will try to one shot the bearer so he can't use it. If you can predict when he's gonna do it, try casting Unholy Vitality (Your TG riding king's unique spell). Even if your opponent manages to kill him, he would have wasted so much damage on your character trying to kill him.
#'''The Grim Garland:''' Enemy units within in 6 subtract 2 from their Bravery. In practice, this means 1 enemy unit, but this is still incredible. An autopick for any Flayer or Terrorgheist heavy list. Your shooting attacks will deal huge amounts of damage, and that's not even taking into account the horrendous battle shock that you have to take, normally forcing the wasting of a LOT of command points for Inspiring Presence.
#'''The Dermal Robe:''' Add 1 to casting, dispelling, unbinding rolls for bearer. Once again, just plain insane. You can either stack it with Dark Wizardry for a godlike caster who can compete with Arkhan and even Nagash, or you can give it to someone else to spread your spells around. Generally best with Archregents once again, who are complete gods of magic for the flesh-eaters. This is an insanely good artifact, that you seriously cannot go wrong with.
#'''Heart of the Gargant Feast:''' Once per game rerolls to wound for your character. Solid, but limited, probably better to take something that helps more than one unit. What he said. The artifact is relatively meh, but if you truly wish to use it, use it with a strong mounted king, and buff him with stuff like Feeding Frenzy, the Archregent's Ferocious Hunger, Zombie Dragon King's Malefic Hunger, you get the idea, especially if you REALLY want something just that dead, since the aforementioned spells actually buff your mount too.

'''Noble Heirlooms: COURTIER HEROES only'''
#'''Keening Bone:''' One the bearer's melee weapons has its range changed to 3 inches. Formerly seen as a joke, but it's a very interesting artifact. 3 inches is massive, and as such, when piling in your hero, this can be used as a very nasty surprise. This actually makes for a great hero killer, especially after piling in. Feeding Frenzy can be used to get even more threat range, allowing you to hit squishy support heroes standing behind, or attack powerful melee characters from a safe range - behind his own troops.
#'''Medal of Madness:''' Once per battle ROUND this now allows the Courtier to use one of the three generic command abilities for free. (per the FAQ)
#'''The Flayed Pennant:''' Re-roll failed charge rolls for FLESH-EATER COURTS units wholly within 12 inches of bearer. Oh how the mighty have fallen. Yet, not all hope is lost. Still makes for super cool conversions, such as a Chaos warrior's banner, or heck even a Bloodletter's Bloodsoaked Banner. This is arguably stronger than before. It's effect is permanent, and once again, a Varghulf carrying this could zoom around, buffing everyone you need to buff. Free re-rolls means more CPs saved, and thus more Feeding Frenzies, or more summons or more Grand Court command abilities. Just make sure you position your Courtier to be where most of your charges will be made.
#'''Carrion Wand:''' Bearer can cast Arcane Bolt like a WIZARD. If he's already a WIZARD, basically if he has the Dark Acolyte command trait, add 1 to casting rolls for Arcane Bolt. Not amazing, but it's interesting, since you can use Arcane Bolts to snipe enemy characters. It's decent, though not that useful.
#'''The Fleshform Raiment:''' Subtract 1 from bravery of enemy units within 3 inches of bearer. A straight downgrade from the Grim Garland. In every single case, you should take Grim Garland over this. Abhorrants have access to larger bases, and the debuff is far more painful. However, if you still want this artifact, then you should probably take both this AND the Grim Garland. If you want the bravery bomb, then you pretty much HAVE TO COMMIT. Still not the most recommended choice.
#'''The Bilious Decanter:''' Wow. Once per battle, add 2 to the attacks of the bearer's melee weapons. It goes without saying, but Varghulfs benefit massively from this. They have the most accurate attacks, a ton of damage, good rend, and this just boosts it to ridiculous levels. Use Feeding Frenzy to get the most out of this baby. And it's still incredible on Haunter or Infernal Courtiers, who will definitely love the extra damage.

====Mount Traits====
Similar to artifacts, you can pick one to give to your mounted ghoul kings. And for each battalion you have, you can pick another. Completely independent from artifacts, which is awesome. Designer's Commentary also confirms that these traits may be duplicated, unlike Artefacts of Power.

'''TERRORGHEIST TRAITS: HERO mounted on Royal Terrorgheist only'''
*'''Deathly Fast:''' This model can run and still shoot in same turn. It's decent, it means an extra D6 inches to your Death Shriek, but you can't charge, which is the main problem. Plus the D6 is unreliable. Overall, not a very good trait.
*'''Razor-Clawed:''' Actually not bad. But relatively weak on a Terrorgheist, since most of his damage comes from his bite, which already does mortal wounds and has a TWO REND. A bit situational, since not many things have such a good save to warrant a -3 rend modifier.
*'''Horribly Infested:''' When the monster dies, inflict 3 mortal wounds instead of D3 with the Infested ability. This is actually really good. A mounted king built for damage can swoop in the middle of the enemy, devastate them, explode and deal a ton of wounds. A very solid trait for Terrorgheists.
*'''Horribly Resilient:''' Heal 3 wounds instead of D3 for Royal Blood. Wow. This is yet another solid trait, as it can bring you up on the damage table easily. Another really good trait.
*'''Gruesome Bite:''' Re-roll hit rolls with the Terrorgheist's Fanged Maw. This is almost always the best trait to pick. A 4+ rerollable is better than a 3+, significantly improving your accuracy. Plus, you can fish for more mortal wound hits, which is utterly terrifying. A must-pick to skyrocket your damage potential.
*'''Devastating Scream:''' Add 1 to the roll for Death Shriek. Not very strong, since it's only one extra wound. Overshadowed by the other traits here.

Kings on Terrorgheists should usually prioritize Gruesome Bite, while Horribly Resilient and Horribly Infested are other great choices. The others are usually not that powerful, or are too situational.

'''ZOMBIE DRAGON TRAITS: HERO mounted on Royal Zombie Dragon only'''
*'''Deathly Fast:''' This model can run and still shoot in same turn. It's decent, it means an extra D6 inches to your Pestilential Breath, but you can't charge, which is the main problem. Plus the D6 is unreliable. Overall, not a very good trait.
*'''Razor-Clawed:''' Actually a good choice for your zombie dragon. Most of his damage comes from that brutal claws, and 2 rend on those is terrifying. He doesn't do mortal wounds like a Terrorgheist, so extra rend is honestly much more useful for him.
*'''Baneful Breath:''' Re-roll wound rolls for Pestilential Breath attacks. A very solid trait. Your accuracy is incredible, and you'll hit almost every single time. The biggest weakness of this is the unreliability of the damage D6. It's a decent choice.
*'''Horribly Resilient:''' Heal 3 wounds instead of D3 for Royal Blood. Wow. This is yet another solid trait, as it can bring you up on the damage table easily. Another really good trait.
*'''Necrotic Fangs:''' Re-roll damage rolls for your Snapping Maw. Not bad. But given the bad hit-rolls of this weapon, it can be skipped since the hardest part is hitting in the first place.
*'''Death From The Skies:''' STEEL REEHN. Your Dragon can appear anywhere on the board at the end of the first movement phase. Actually a super good trait. Not for first-turn charges. But because your King can basically be where he is needed most. Maybe your Horrors are already getting stuck in, and need your king for the hit re-roll aura and the Malefic hunger buff? Or those Ghoul Patrol Crypt Ghouls are trying to charge and might need a Forward to Victory? There's a ton of possibilities with this trait, which gives you massive flexibility.

Death From The Skies should be given first priority, while Razor-Clawed and Horribly Resilient are possible but worthy choices.

====Notable Artifacts of the Realms====

==Lore of Madness==

FLESH-EATER COURTS WIZARDS only. Each WIZARD gets one spell from this list. They can actually have multiple copies of the same spell, they just can't attempt it more than once in the same hero phase. Also, Courtiers with Dark Acolyte get spells from here, since they are wizards in a Flesh-Eater Courts army.

*'''Bonestorm''' Casts on a 5. Roll a dice for each enemy within a foot, and on a 2+ they take a mortal wound. Decent enough as your second or third pick, and as a plus you get to yell out BONESTORM!

*'''Spectral Host''' Casts on a 6. This one lets a unit within 12 fly. If it could already fly they can run and charge. Be still my unbeating heart, this one is amazing. Blisterskin flayers with an average threat range of 25 inch threat are really rather worrisome. Roll a 10 and it'll target 3 units. Neat. ( pairs well with the blisterkin command ability and any non flying units).

*'''Monstrous Vigor''' Casts on a 5. A monster gets to pretend it isn't wounded. REALLY good in Gristlegore, but otherwise probably less good than the other options on the list.

*'''Miasmal Shroud''' Casts on a 5. Roll 3 dice, for each 5+ you do a mortal to the target unit. If you roll a double they get -1 to hit. A triple they also get -1 to wound. Interestingly enough it doesn't HAVE to do mortals to nerf the unit, so on triple 1s they're still useless.

*'''Deranged Transformation''' Casts on a 6. This one is... actually pretty good!. It adds a unit's wounds to their move, as long as it's less than 7 wounds. Suddenly a unit of flayers gets +4 move, and that's really rather cool. Similar to Spectral Host, and just like it, you can target 3 units if you roll a 10+. Very good, albeit situational compared to Spectral host. You need to build your list around this. Your Horrors and flayers will benefit a LOT from this. Gaining 4 inches move is no joke, and significantly increases your threat range. Deranged Transformation needs to be considered properly. Horrors will appreciate this the most, as you can now pick and choose your favored targets.

*'''Blood Feast''' Casts on a 7, pick an enemy within 12 of the caster, and a friendly within 6 of that unit. D3 mortals to the baddies, d6 on a 10+. The friendly heals for 1 for each wound done, or if they only have 1 wound, aka ghouls, you can bring back that many dead dudes. Pretty solid spell, and a good way to keep your big scary dragons in fighting form!

==Endless Spells==
'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls/AoS_Flesh-eater_Courts_WSCards_Endless_Spell_Cadaverous_Barricade.pdf Cadaverous Barricade]:''' Casting value 5 endless spell that doesn't move, non-DEATH units within 3 inches of this model that start a move suffer a halved distance when making moves. This includes charges, runs, retreats, whatever. It's only 30points for a wall of bullshit that will make your opponent tear his hair out. Unfortunately, it doesn't affect Death units. However, bear in mind that this thing also gives cover to units being shot by ranged weapons, so long as the shot unit is within 1 inch of this spell, and if the attacker is closer to the wall than they are to the unit they're shooting. Remember. How much shooting do you actually have? Flayers, Terrorgheists, who do mortal wounds, zombie dragons, whose rend of -3 does not give a shit. So that pretty much never helps your opponent. Plus it has a longggg range of 24 inches. There are several ways to abuse this thing. Firstly, if your opponent is unfortunate enough to not be dead, a Cadaverous Barricade in the middle of his army will ruin his plans. Plus, you can also dump it in the middle of combats to deny pile in space for your opponent's scariest monsters and fighters, or block off units trying to claim objectives. Endless Spells are counted as friendly models, so you can only move through this if you can fly (or have some similar ability). You'll be making everything walk around the flimsy metal fence!

'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls/AoS_Flesh-eater_Courts_WSCards_Endless_Spell_Chalice_of_Ushoran.pdf Chalice of Ushoran]:'''An endless spell that doesn't move, count the number of models slain within 12" (Not wholly within, and not units), at the end of each TURN, roll a number of dice equal to that count. For each 4+, heal 1 wound or return a model with a Wounds characteristic of 1 to any FLESH-EATER COURTS unit or model. This is the example of the perfect endless spell. It ties perfectly into our playstyle. Put in the middle of a huge scrum, and watch as this, combined with mustering, just brings back most of your army. It's still relatively cheap at 50pts, making it easy to slot into any list. Your opponent will do his utmost to dispel this, so you're probably only able to use it in your turn, but that means one less casting attempt for your opponent. Don't be afraid to dispel it yourself, though, if the fighting moves somewhere else, and you might need to relocate the Chalice. Remember, you can use it to heal multi-wound models like Horrors and Flyers, but you can't return a model. So for the sake of Nagash, bring ghouls if you want the most out of this. Ghouls drop like flies, so use it to heal either your ghoul units, or your stronger hammers, such as monsters, Horrors, Flayers, or your Courtiers. Don't always depend on whether your opponent's going to bring a horde to feed your damn chalice, just feed it yourself.

'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls/AoS_Flesh-eater_Courts_WSCards_Endless_Spell_Corpsemare_Stampede.pdf Corpsemare Stampede]:'''a Predatory spell that rolls 5 dice against each unit it moves over. For each roll that beats (not equals) the unit's wound characteristic, inflict 1 mortal wound, if 6 was rolled, deal d3 Mortal wounds instead. Very strong. Hordes will cry against this, and it even moves 14 inches and flies. While the enemy can certainly send it right back at you, if you have it go over his whole battleline, then he'll have to run it through his lines AGAIN to whack you with it, forcing him to move it away, which could endanger his backline if they're too close. Casting value of 7, making it annoying to dispel without buffs. Overall, an excellent choice. Plus, even if it does trample your guys, your guys have the sustain to tank it, the enemy doesn't. And it's not even expensive.

==Warscrolls==
The common keywords of these warscrolls are '''DEATH''' and '''FLESH-EATER COURTS'''. Apart from the Ghoul King (in all his variants), the Terrorgheist and the Zombie Dragon all the units also have the '''MORDANT''' keyword.

===Leaders===

====Abhorrants====

These are your typical leader Heroes. Each of them comes with a Command Ability and each is a wizard. Though none of them can use summoning magic as such, each Abhorrant variant can summon new units. Ghouls for the footslogger, Crypt Horrors/Flayers for the one on Terrorgheist, Courtiers for the one on Zombie Dragon and any of your choice for the Archregent. Thanks to the non-existence of summoning magic in this army, these Commands are the only way to set up entirely new units. Compare Commands and unique spells to find out which ones you want to have in your army.

*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls/AoS_Flesh-eater_Courts_Warscroll_card_Abhorrent_Ghoul_King_on_Royal_Terrorgheist.pdf Abhorrant Ghoul King on Terrorgheist]:''' (420pts) This count also as '''Behemoth'''. Oh heck yes. The Ghoul King adds a lot to the already powerful Terrorgheist, such as magic and a Command Ability. This guy can grant a 5+ save-after-the-save to a Flesh-Eater unit and can summon new units of Crypt Flayers or Crypt Horrors. Other than that, it's a Wizard, it has a Command and it has three powerful melee profiles in addition to a dangerous not-a-breath-attack. Remember, his command ability has some serious utility. Flayers have a ranged attack, which while bad at long range, will do some damage. Horrors are not bad, and can divert your opponent's attention and effort from your mainline, even worse if they get a charge off.

*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls/AoS_Flesh-eater_Courts_Warscroll_card_Abhorrent_Ghoul_King_on_Royal_Zombie_Dragon.pdf Abhorrant Ghoul King on Zombie Dragon]:''' (440pts) This count also as '''Behemoth'''. Exactly what it says on the tin. Just like the variety on the Terrorgheist, this one here has some seriously powerful buffs. First of all, as a Command, he can summon new Courtiers OF ANY TYPE (who can then proceed to summon more foot soldiers). Then, his unique spell makes a 10" bubble centered on the Ghoul King which grants rerolls To Wound to ALL Flesh-Eater models. On top of that, the Zombie Dragon heals D3 Wounds each Hero Phase. Both mounted Ghoul Kings are excellent choices, but eat points REALLY fast. This King's command ability is excellent. To put it simply; ALWAYS summon a Varghulf Courtier. He's a high damage fighter, who replenishes ALL your guys, is fast, and still gets a Look Out Sir! This summon should be used wisely, and can be used for multiple ways. Maybe an ambushing unit of ghouls needs a hero's Forward To Victory, or a Blisterskin Flayers unit wants a Feeding Frenzy buff but are too far. This can go a long way.

*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls/AoS_Flesh-eater_Courts_WSCards_Abhorrant_Ghoul_King.pdf Abhorrant Ghoul King]:''' (160pts) Not that murderous when compared to a Vampire Lord in terms of killing power, but absolutely amazing when compared to the average Wizard. Their unique spell grants a Flesh-eater unit one more attack with each melee weapon, which makes Crypt Ghouls and Horrors better and Varghulfs terrifying, but if you cast this on a Ghoul King on Terrorgheist, he'll pluck whole units apart by himself. Another thing that needs to be addressed is that a Ghoul King is a fucking cockroach. 6 Wounds at a 4+ save and a regeneration of D3 Wounds a turn means the enemy either dedicates entire war machine salvos to kill this guy or he'll be good as new two turns later. Sure he can't go toe-to-toe with an Ironjaws Megaboss (who can?), but he'll survive stuff that could easily overkill most other buffers and wizards. His command ability seems weak, but can be very strong in Morgaunt. 10 Ghoul units get an extra attack if close enough to a Courtier, significantly increasing their damage output. Furthermore, these units can claim objectives and just be incredibly annoying. Plus it's free if used closeby the Charnel Throne.

*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls/AoS_Flesh-eater_Courts_WSCards_Abhorrant_Archregent.pdf Abhorrant Archregent]:''' (240pts) Essentially a souped-up footslogger Ghoul King. Has an extra wound and attacks, but his major advantage over the vanilla one is his magic, with the ability to cast an extra spell and a variant of the Ghoul King's spell that grants d3 attacks. Also heals a flat three wounds per turn. He also combines the summoning abilities of all the different Abhorrent Ghoul Kings. He can either summon a unit of 20 Ghouls, 3 KNIGHTS or a Courtier. This adds a degree of flexibility mid-game. If you take one, place him close to the (free) charnel throne to use his summon ability without paying a CP. Remember, he is NOT a dedicated fighting hero, but he can do some work. Try not to risk him in melee. His support value is just too good. He's basically a direct upgrade over a foot Ghoul King. And don't forget, he can regenerate 3 wounds. The Ghoul King's a cockroach? Fuck that noise. This guy will never die unless your opponent truly commits to murdering him off the board. Remember, his command ability is crazy versatile. Use it wisely, according to the situation at hand.
**Also, remember that as his spell and the normal foot Ghoul King's are different, they stack. A potential 4 extra attacks on a unit is ruinous, especially with feeding frenzy.

====Courtiers====

Courtiers are more support Heroes and beatsticks, not proper leader types and thus come without any Command Abilities or magic. What they do is still very important though, as of they can Resurrect Slain Models, as of second edition. Keep in mind though that they cannot set up new units, only the Ghoul Kings can do that. This is not to say your Courtiers are less important though as they can, for example, add Ghouls to a unit until it gets its Battalion Strength back. As they don't have the Monster Keyword despite appearances, they all benefit from Look Out Sir.

*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls/AoS_Flesh-eater_Courts_WSCards_Varghulf_Courtier.pdf Varghulf Courtier]:''' (160pts) The most versatile of all the courtiers - The Varghulf flies, has a 10" move and a bunch of strong attacks with more if it's in melee with ten or more models. This courtier is at it's best supporting your knights and serfs against chaff and mass battleline - with the aforementioned attacks bonus, Feed on Dark Magic, and Feeding Frenzy (not to mention artifacts to bump up it's attack potential), you are looking at an excellent battleline buster. Don't let him get into combat with tough hammer units or heavy-hitting monsters - 8 wounds and a 5+/6++ save goes far too quickly. It heals D3 Wounds at the end of each combat phase where it slew any enemies and can reroll To Hit if an '''ABHORRANT''' casts a spell within 18" of him (Feed on Dark Magic). Oh, and unlike other courtiers, he can muster Flayers, Horrors, and Ghouls. An excellent summoning choice - summon it in near units in combat at the table edge, in range for Feeding Frenzy, or place it range to support mass Ghouls - a very versatile part of the FEC army.

*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls/AoS_Flesh-eater_Courts_WSCards_Crypt_Ghast_Courtier.pdf Crypt Ghast Courtier]:'''(60pts) A teeny tiny Ghoul champion upstart. That's what he is. He has a bunch of weak attacks and is still somewhat fragile for a Hero, with 4 Wounds and a 5+ save, similar to a Loonboss. His real use is in resurrecting, on average, 5 Ghouls per Hero Phase (yes, that means you can heal Ghoul units back to the point where their size-bonus activates) and he makes them stronger if he personally kills an enemy. Only use this as a last resort, though, as his reviving is superb and he's too fragile to risk in melee.

*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls/AoS_Flesh-eater_Courts_WSCards_Crypt_Haunter_Courtier.pdf Crypt Haunter Courtier]:''' (120pts) A slightly stronger Crypt Horror champion who can summon more of his flunkies. That last part alone is already cool, as Crypt Horrors are very powerful, but the fact that the Courtier is strong in melee and regenerates should not be forgotten. If he is your general, Crypt Horror Becomes '''battleline'''; With AOS2 making it so everyone can use Command Abilities, you won't feel that you're losing something when you make him your general. The Gutbusters Gorger model will make for a perfect Crypt Haunter Courtier if you don't want to go the conversion/special paint job route. Equip him with a high-rend weapon from Malign Sorceries and keep near an '''ABHORRANT''' for rerolls to hit and he'll destroy almost anything he comes up against.

*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls/AoS_Flesh-eater_Courts_WSCards_Crypt_Infernal_Courtier.pdf Crypt Infernal Courtier]:''' (120pts) Blessed with everything a Crypt Flayer needs to be good. 5 attacks with 2 damage already make him as good as a small squad of normal Crypt Flayers and instead of a milquetoast Bravery-scream, he breathes fire. This guy is an absolute powerhouse AND he can Resurrect Crypt Flayers. If he is your general, Crypt Flayer Becomes '''battleline'''.

===Hollowmourne===

'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls/aos_the_grymwatch_en.pdf Duke Crackmarrow]:''' Monster hunter from Beastgrave. You have to take this guy and his band (the grymwatch that we will analyze later) for 120 points. While those bands usually suck when used into normal battles, this guys are really good in what they do. The Duke had a fine weapon, the halberd (2",3A,3+,3+,-1,2D) which makes him a good hero killer, but a really terrifying monsters killer, adding one to his damage if he attacks a '''monster'''. If you play him into a Flesh-eater court army, you add many ways to give him extra attacks with spells and also make him attack again. Don't get fooled, if rightly buffed this guy can take down many monsters in one turn. Also, he can easily Resurrect his companion, rolling six dice and for every 2+ Resurrect a model. This means that you will probably refill the unit even if just a guy survived. Note also that you can use them in every army as mercenary, and this isn't such a bad idea.

===Troops===

Unlike their unit entries in Grand Alliance: Death, the Flesh-Eater Courts cannot use summoning magic as their warscrolls kept the summoning spells on them or have the Summonable Keyword. Not to fear though, you can still pile heaps of new models onto the table with this army.

====Serfs====
*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls/AoS_Flesh-eater_Courts_WSCards_Crypt_Ghouls.pdf Crypt Ghouls]:''' ('''Battleline''' Min:10 Max:40 100/360pts) Your basic infantry and not too shabby, all things considered, especially since just about everything in this army either makes these little guys better or allows you to toss more of them onto the board. They get two attacks each with a third if the unit's big enough and they have a 6+ save, which may sound bad but is actually pretty good because that means unlike, say, Zombies, Ghouls can actually make use of <s>cover and</s> Mystic Shield. If you want to capitalize on Ghouls, just remember to bring some Crypt Ghast Courtiers to keep your units nice and big and remember that all in all, the save-after-the-save buff of the Terrorgheist-Ghoul King is probably better than a simple Mystic Shield at keeping your Ghouls on the board longer.

*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls/aos_the_grymwatch_en.pdf Grymwatch]:''' (Disclaimer! They aren't serfs, but being basically a different flavor of crypt ghouls I put them here for making my work easier) at a first look these guys are the looser version of the ghouls. 5 of them attack with bone weapons (1",2A,4+,4+,/,1D) and the bats with their fangs (1",d6A,4+,4+,/,1D). Their attacks are quite bad indeed, but then you read their abilities and everything change. This guy's weapons deal 2 damage instead of one on Monsters. You are probably playing them in a Flesh-eater army, so there are many ways to get extra attacks and attack twins in the combat phase. These guys then turn into a really good unit of monsters slayer, with the only downside of don't have rend at all. Also, their second ability is to take wounds at a 4+ instead of their hero, the Duke. Consider to use them as a health bar, because only the Duke is an incredible monsters slayer all of his own.

====Knights====
*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls/AoS_Flesh-eater_Courts_WSCards_Crypt_Horrors.pdf Crypt Horrors]:''' ('''Battleline''' if a Crypt Haunter Courtier is your General Min:3 Max:12 130pts) . Simply put, Crypt Horrors are Ogre equivalents. 4 Wounds, 5+ save. 3 attacks with no Rend and 2 Damage each. You know, the usual. These here also regenerate and get rerolls To Hit if a Ghoul King is nearby, thereby eliminating their only real weakness. Take this first. Flayers are also useful, but more gimmicky skirmishers compared to the powerful sledgehammers the Crypt Horrors are.

*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls/AoS_Flesh-eater_Courts_WSCards_Crypt_Flayers.pdf Crypt Flayers]:''' ('''Battleline''' if a Crypt Infernal Courtier is your General Min:3 Max:12 170pts). Their melee profile is the same as that of Horrors with one more attack, but with only damage 1 and rend and the chance to inflict mortal wounds. Then you see that they have a scream attack that inflicts mortal wounds equal to the bravery they beat on a 2d6(-2 on the roll if not within 3" of the target). Then you finally realize they're not meant to be powerhouses. They're harassers and tarpits, just like Razorgors for the Beastmen and are very useful when summoned via Command Ability, because they are fast enough to close the distance quickly.

===Behemoths===

Unlike the versions in Grand Alliance: Death, the warscrolls for this army actually have the Flesh-Eater Courts keywords and are thus susceptible to the awesome buffs you dish out. Never forget that, as it gives you an enormous edge.

*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls/AoS_Flesh-eater_Courts_Warscroll_card_Royal_Terrorgheist.pdf Royal Terrorgheist]: '''(Optional Battleline if Gristlegore. 300) It's powerful, with its Shriek being downright terrifying. <s>3D6 minus Bravery mortal wounds, eh? That'll halve a Liberator unit on average.</s> Unfortunately, someone at GW noticed just how powerful this was and now it's 6+D6 minus Bravery Mortal Wounds. And while this has dramatically cut down on the maximum damage, it has also made it much more reliable. They also decided to make the Terrorgheist's regeneration dependent on having a Ghoul King of any kind close by, but in exchange, they gave it a better 4+ save and even stronger attacks than before. It also explodes into a bunch of mortal wounds when it dies, which can make your opponent hesitate to finish it off, at which point it will regenerate and eat his sorry ass. In short, a Terrorgheist has the works: High flying Move, lots of wounds with a good save, very high damage, a dangerous shriek and if run alongside a mounted Ghoul King, great regen.
**This is Battline if you're playing Gristlegore. Just show up to a 2000 point game with 7 models on the table and smile at your opponent.

*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls/AoS_Flesh-eater_Courts_Warscroll_card_Royal_Zombie_Dragon.pdf Royal Zombie Dragon]:''' (Optional Battline: if Gristlegore 300) Don't. Scroll way up. Play this thing with the Ghoul King on top. Seriously, the Ghoul King adds so much to this thing it isn't funny. As in, another melee profile, powerful regeneration, magic, and a Command Ability.
**Except in the case of Gristlegore when this thing becomes Battleline. BATTLELINE DRAGONS. It's like the weird lovechild of Beastclaw Raiders and Order Draconis!

===Scenery===

*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls/AoS_Flesh-eater_Courts_WSCards_Scenery_Charnel_Throne.pdf Charnel Throne]:''' Gives +1 bravery to Flesh-Eater units within 1" and -1 bravery to anybody else. If an Abhorrant Ghoul King or Archregent is within 1 inch of it (Recommended to sit on the throne itself for badass points) they get to use their summoning command ability for free. This doesn't apply to the mounted Ghoul King command abilities, so no cheesing. While it seems shit at first glance, there's actually gold hidden in that pile of shit. Using command abilities for free is incredible, because those saved Command Points WILL add up to a TON of points, which means a LOT of Feeding Frenzies and other command abilities over the whole game. The other effects rarely come up due to how aggressively the Flesh-Eater Courts play, but could be useful. And remember, that Charnel Throne? That big, ostentatious and grand chair? It's denying space to that tree-humping Sylvaneth bastard, so you can go ahead and kiss your throne and thank it for watching your ass.

==Battalions==
===Royal Family===
''Found in the Flesh-eaters Courts Battletome.''

'''''An Abhorrant Archregent, Abhorrant Ghoul King on Royal Terrorgheist or an Abhorrant Ghoul King on Royal Zombie Dragon and between 2 and 6 Abhorrant Ghoul Kings''''' (Min: 560; Max: 1400)

Your basic leader Battalion buffs nearby Courtier muster abilities. Really only useful for larger games or an elite focused army. If you have a bunch of the old Strigoi Ghoul King models lying around, by all means, play it.

===Attendants at Court===
''Found in the Flesh-eaters Courts Battletome.''

'''''A Crypt Haunter Courtier and two units of Crypt Horrors''''' (Min: 550; Max: 1510)

A very nice formation. Their reroll To Hit abilities, which normally hinge on a Ghoul King being close by, are now always active in this Battalion.

===Deadwatch===
''Found in the Flesh-eaters Courts Battletome.''

'''''A Crypt Infernal Courtier and 3 units of Crypt Flayers''''' (Min: 740; Max: 2270)

Slightly bigger Battalion but worth it, as it allows one unit to pile in and attack in your Hero Phase as well as in the Combat Phases. Turns their decent attacks into terrifying attacks.

===Abattoir===
''Found in the Flesh-eaters Courts Battletome.''

'''''A Crypt Haunter Courtier, two units of Crypt Horrors and a unit of Crypt Ghouls''''' (Min: 660; Max: 1880)

Roll a D6 for every enemy ''model'' within 3" of any model from this battalion at the end of the combat phase. On a 6, their unit takes a Mortal Wound. That's a lot more chance to mortal wounds than it was previously as you'll rolling in both your turn and your opponent's, plus it can trigger the same turn you charge into combat. This is, again, in addition to any other damage they will do during the game.

===Ghoul Patrol===
''Found in the Flesh-eaters Courts Battletome.''

'''''A Crypt Ghast Courtier and 3 units of Crypt Ghouls''''' (Min: 540; Max: 1320)

Lets any unit from the battalion outflank. In your first movement phase, you must set them up within 6" of ''any'' table edge.

===King's Ghouls===
''Found in the Flesh-eaters Courts Battletome.''

'''''A Crypt Ghast Courtier, a unit of Crypt Horrors and 2 units of Crypt Ghouls''''' (Min: 600; Max: 1600)

Only lets you ignore battleshock while close to the Courtier now, which may not last long unless you can hide it (behind the Horrors for example). But with command points being so useful now, it may be worth it for the Inspiring Presence saving.

===Royal Mordants===
''Found in the Flesh-eaters Courts Battletome.''

'''''A Varghulf Courtier, a unit of Crypt Horrors, a unit of Crypt Flayers and a unit of Crypt Ghouls''''' (Min: 710; Max: 1960)

In your hero phase, one unit from the battalion wholly within 16" if the Varghulf may make a normal move. Watch your Crypt Flayers fly from one end of the board to the other in one turn :-)

===Royal Menagerie===
''Found in the Flesh-eaters Courts Battletome.''

'''''3 or more Royal Terrorgheists or Royal Zombie Dragons in any combination''''' (Min: 1020; Max: no max)

Each model may heal D3 wounds if they are within 5" of any other model from the battalion. Keep an ABHORRANT nearby and your Terrorgheists will be healing 2D3 wounds in each of your hero phases!
Also, Designer's Commentary has stated that '''GRISTLEGORE''' monsters that are Battleline are NOT Behemoths, so there really is no limit to how big this battalion can be.

===Cannibal Court===
''Found in the Flesh-eaters Courts Battletome.''

'''''1 of each of the following battalions: Royal Family, Attendants at Court, Deadwatch, Abattoir, Ghoul Patrol, King's Ghouls, Royal Mordants and Royal Menagerie''''' (Min: 5730; Max: )

For the filthy rich. If your general is an Archregent or Ghoul King from this battalion, it also has the command abilities of any other units from this battalion. Really nothing to write home about, as this basically means they will have one extra summon of 10 ghouls during the battle. Whoo.

===King Vlagorescu's Ghoulish Host===
''Found in the King Vlagorescu's Ghoulish Host box.''

'''''An Abhorrant Ghoul King on Terrorgheist, a Varghulf Courtier, a unit of Crypt Horrors, a unit of Crypt Flayers and a unit of Crypt Ghouls''''' (Min: ; Max: )

The same reform ability the Royal Mordants get and more interestingly the entire Battalion has a chance of piling in and attacking in your Hero Phase.

===Flesh-Eater Courts Royal Hunt===
''Found in Flesh-Eater Courts Starter Kit''
''''''1 Ghoul King on Terrorgheist, 1 Unit of Crypt Horrors, 1 Unit of Crypt Ghouls'''''' (Min: ; Max: )
+1 to attacks by any model of the hunt in 10" of King - No obvious Battalion cost at this stage

===The Arcasanctorian Guard===
''Found in Carrion Empire''
'''''An Abhorrant Archregent, a unit of 3 Crypt Flayers, a unit of 3 Crypt Horrors, and a unit of 20 Crypt Ghouls''''' (Min:840 ; Max:840)

Units from this Battalion reroll failed charges and don't take battleshock. For 110 points, in addition to the exacting unit size restrictions, this is utter garbage.

==Army Building==

Just buy two Start Collecting! boxes to start. That's it, you will get 20 Ghouls, a practically obligatory big monster, three Crypt-ids and a Courtier of your choice, there you have an 900 points army, excluding the additional big monster, which you could use to make a Vampire Lord on Zombie Dragon and a Ghoul King on foot (this last guy will fill your 100 points army perfectly) and two spared Crypt models. Here you have enough saving to buy yet another SC! box, mainly for the extra Ghouls and Crypt guys. From there, you can freely go crazy.

The new nightfeast hunter box is a good deal as well! 20 Ghouls and 3 Crypt for $65 US. Though at this point, the Start Collecting! Box is only a little more, and you'll get the Terrorgheist, but only ten ghouls.

If you chose the Terrorgheist, a good next step would be three boxes Crypt Horrors. Build one as a Crypt Haunter Courtier and the other eight as Crypt Horrors. This supplies you with an Abattoir Battalion, some Crypt Ghasts and a big monster-riding general.

If you chose the Zombie Dragon, you may want to add some Crypt Flayers instead. Have your general summon a new Crypt Infernal Courtier every turn and have them summon Crypt Flayers until all your models are in play.

If you chose to build the foot-slogger, get another such kit asap, build both monsters as Terrorgheists and put the second Ghoul King on the second bat, since normal Terrorgheists profit massively from having a Ghoul King on monster along for the ride.

==="Royal" Air Force===
For competitive play (2000pts) try this list, I've played several battles (vs order and chaos armies) and still have to find this armies adversary.

- Battlescroll: Deadwatch
6 Crypt Flayers
6 Crypt Flayers
9 Crypt Flayers
1 Crypt Infernal Coutier
- Abhorrant Ghoul King on Terrorgheist
- Varghulf Coutier

This army is fast, all of them fly, regenerates units (flayers) and is full of possible mortal wounds dealing which are quit the deal.
Normal set up would be the 9 flayers in the middle with the 6 flayers each covering its flanks.
the Infernal (who has to be the general in order to make flayers battleline) and the varghulf hug each other and if possible cover behind the 9 flayers for adding losses. The Abhorrant Ghoul King on Terrgheist can be used for support on a flank though keep him close to the frontline for his delicious spell for 5++ save against all kinds of (mortal)wounds. Now with the Deathless minions rules you get for having the Death Allegiance from the Generals Handbook <s>(actually, because you have to have the Flesh-Eater Courts allegiance in order for Flayers to be Battleline, you can't use any of the Death allegiance abilities, you can only pick one allegiance)</s>(see General's Handbook FAQ)(See Also, the thing in the actual Flesh-Eater Courts allegiance concerning Mortal Wounds), you'll have a 6++ (5++ if you choose or roll that one command trait for your general) save against wounds and mortal wounds. Enjoy your '''9 flayers with 5+, 5++, 6++/5++''' with casualty replenishment for each '''5+ on 12 dice''' all the while they deal wounds and mortal wounds '''both in close combat and your hero phases'''! I've seen them tear down Alarielle due to volumes of attacks and those delicious mortal wounds. Watch out for negative modifiers against your flayers (they'll lose the mortal wounds on 6s when they have a -1 to hit) and protect your Infernal and Varghulf!
Negative modifiers do not prevent you from generating mortal wounds with your flayers as the ability states it happens on an unmodified roll of a 6

Beware though, Deadwatch has been massively nerfed, since now only 1 unit of Flayers can attack per hero phase. Don't let it stop you from playing this, but it's definitely weaker than it used to be.

===One SC Army===

Actually you can get your first 980 pts army with one "SC" box and "Endless Spells" box:

Just build your Crypt guys as Crypt Haunter Courtier and Crypt Infernal Courtier. Also you can build your Crypt Ghast Courtier with reamining parts and some green stuff. Choose Gristlegore Grand Court and take your Ghoul king and Terrorgheist separately.

List:

Leaders:
- Abhorrant Ghoul King(160pts)
- Crypt Ghast Courtier(60pts)
- Crypt Haunter Courtier(120pts)
- Crypt Infernal Courtier(120pts)
Units:
- 10 Crypt Ghouls(100) -''battleline''
Behemoths:
- Gristlegore Royal Terrorgheist(300pts) -''battleline''
Endless spells:
- Chalice of Ushoran(50pts)
- Corpsemare Stampede(70pts)

'''Total points''':980

Another option is to buy one "SC" box and one Abhorrant Archregent, which can build a 990 points list:

Build one of the ghouls as a Crypt Ghast Courtier. To complete the unit of 10 Crypt Ghouls, either build one from bits and green stuff, or get a single ghoul from eBay or similar. Build the 3 bigger guys as Crypt Flayers, and the behemoth as an Abhorrant Ghoul King on Royal Terrorgheist.

List:

Grand Court: Blisterskin
- Abhorrant Archregent (240 pts)
- Abhorrant Ghoul King on Royal Terrorgheist (420 pts)
- Crypt Ghast Courtier (60 pts)
- 10x Crypt Ghouls (100 pts) - ''battleline''
- 3x Crypt Flayers (170 pts) - ''battleline''

'''Total points:''' 990

As a next step, look at getting a Varghulf Courtier. The Abhorrant Archregent can summon it, and it returns slain models to either battleline unit.

==Allied Armies==

*The logical choice for allies would, of course, be other Death units. You can only ally '''Deadwalkers''', '''Deathlords''' and '''Deathmages'''.

*Corpse Carts and Mortis Engines provide solid allies that boost your casting, which is crazy good for Flesh-Eaters who rely a LOT on magic. Mortis Engines are probably best, since they are tough, boost casting, can deal lots of mortal wounds and can heal your guys. Corpse Carts are a little squishy and don't do much other than buff Deadwalkers units, which you have little use for.

*Dire Wolves are decent, being relatively fast. HOWEVER, as badass as undead royal hunting hounds may look like ,they synergize not even a little bit with your guys. Try not to use them. Zombies are pretty meh, as they require you to commit a lot of resources into making them work, while your ghouls work so much better with your army.

*You've got access to the Mortarchs too. Out of all of them, Arkhan is probably best. Mannfred is expensive as hell, and has little utility since he's mostly a magic and combat beatstick, which isn't what your army really needs. Neferata is decent, but then you'd be pissing off Ushoran, although her Twilight's Allure command ability and her unique spell is solid support. Arkhan is best because he's not too expensive, and can cast your Flesh-Eater spells, if he's close enough to your wizards, while having a boosted unbind/casting roll. Sure, he's not gonna do much damage in combat like Mannfred, but who needs to when you have Curse of Years?

*Morghast Archai and Harbingers are decent, but once again, they have little synergy with your army. They're not bad for anti-armor though, especially those sweet 2 rend halberds, which can help cover your lack of armor piercing.

*Don't use a Necromancer. Just don't. None of his keywords work with yours. The Mortis Engine, however, is just plain great.

*'''Big Drogg Fort-Kicka''': A Gatebreaker Mega-Gargant available to all Death factions as an ally. Functions like Gotrek in the Order factions where he uses up your whole allies allowance in exchange for a very destructive monster of a unit. His most important feature is the ability to destroy terrain, including faction terrain. He also has a unique breath attack that attacks one unit within 3" at the end of the combat phase; roll a dice for each model in the unit and deal 1MW on a 6+.

{{Age_of_Sigmar_Tactics}}

Age of Sigmar/Tactics/Order/Sylvaneth

2020-10-26T13:37:39Z

2406:3400:20F:FFC0:1C9F:B1D1:F985:39CC: /* Cons */

{{Age of Sigmar Faction|Faction=Sylvaneth|Logo=Most Friendly Being In Sylvaneth.jpg|Alliance=Order|Motto=WALKING TREES I TELL YOU! WALKING TREES!}}

Welcome to the Everqueen's glorious wooden host! Fleet of foot we spring from our forests, reaping our foes' lives with Mortal Wounds, before vanishing back into the woods, leaving those still alive confused and broken. When it comes to hit and run, keeping multi-wound models alive and literally shaping the battlefield to our needs, none compare. For we live between the Elite Armies of the Slaves to Darkness and the Ironjawz and Nighthaunt, our glades and copses are filled with singing dryads and solemn Kurnoth Hunters, ever watchful of the outsides and our enemies. For the Deepwood stirs...

==Why play Sylvaneth?==
* You like trees, nature and/or gardening.
* You like being able to teleport around the battlefield.
* You watched the Marvel films and are a big fan of Groot.
* Your favorite scenes in the Lord of the Rings is the Ents attack on Isengard or the Huron wiping out an Orc army, that or Treebeard is your favorite character. (not that I blame you)
* Your a painter who loves varieties of colors.
* You like armies that straddle the line between elite and horde.

====Pros====
*New battletome for 2019 that replaces the four fixed one-drop army lists with a whole host of choices.
*We have a lot of new and glorious models, almost completely in plastic (just one finecast, which you ''will'' be needing... and even then you can kitbash one up from plastic models).
*Easily paintable chaff with Dryads. Which is useful as you'll be painting a lot of them.
*Almost everything we have is at least -1 Rend.
*We get around quickly. One of our Battleline moves 7". Other stuff can teleport. If you like mobility and board control, we are one of the best choices to date.
*Just look at Alarielle model. Her buffs and damage output are almost as awesome as she looks.
*Massive Board Control if you can get those woods out.
*Kurnoth Hunters. Even by heavy infantry standard in AoS, absolute damage monsters. They will do a lot of heavy lifting.
*Great, often colourful paint schemes. Whether you want your trees to be in full bloom, fiery autumn or paint them as a haunted ghastly forest, you have a lot of choices.
*Lorewise, we boast one of the leaders of an entire realm and two survivors from the World-That-Was (three if you count the Spirits of Durthu).
*I am Groot.

====Cons====
*We are very bad to transport. Seriously it's a pain with all these small bits and twigs. Even foam packaged boxes hurt us. You'll want magnets and a big metal box.
*Limited defense against Mortal Wounds - just a single artefact on 5+ and a glade Command Ability on 6+.
*Being a jack of all trades but a master of none.
*Those Citadel Woods have been replaced with newer models, but you're still going to be requiring a few sets of them, which is still going to be a significant investment and still be a pain to transport. Just not quite as bad as before.
*A reputation for being no fun to play against due to overly defensive turtling. That should be mitigated now, but opinions die hard.
*Spite Revenant hordes are super expensive in terms of cash.
*Current terrain and terrain placement rules make it more difficult to add wildwoods to the table, hindering mobility and tactical planning.
*I am Groot.

==Rulebooks==
{{AOSRulebooks|tome=Sylvaneth (2019)|points=[https://www.warhammer-community.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/40ad8aeb.pdf Sylvaneth Errata]}}

==Allegiance Abilities==

===Battle Traits===
Armies with the {{AOSKeyword|SYLVANETH}} allegiance have the following abilities:

*'''Awakened Wyldwoods''': After territories have been determined but before armies are set up, set up ONE Awakened Wyldwood anywhere on the battlefield more than 1" from any other terrain feature, 1" from enemy territory, and more than 6" from any objectives. Soon in this article you will see why you can't really play Sylvaneth without them. ''2019 Differences: Distance changes.''

*'''Forest Spirits''': You can set up a {{AOSKeyword|SYLVANETH}} unit aside for every unit deployed on the field. In any of your movement phases, you can deploy it on the battlefield. Units must be set up wholly within 6" of an Awakened Wyldwood and more than 9" from any enemy models. This is their move for that movement phase. Sylvaneth deep strike. Exploit it with Spirits of Durthu, melee Kurnoth Hunters, and their shared battalion, Free Spirits. [[Rocks fall, everyone dies|Trunks fall, everyone dies]]. ''2019 Differences: Distance changes.''

*'''Navigate Realmroots''': Instead of moving in the movement phase, ONE {{AOSKeyword|SYLVANETH}} unit wholly within 6" of an Awakened Wyldwood can be moved to wholly within 6" of another, different, wood, and of course more than 9" from any enemy. Treelord varieties have the Spirit Walk Ability and can teleport in addition to this one unit. ''2019 Differences: This used to be usable for multiple units a turn and the rolling after has gone. Definite nerf, but also simpler to use.''

*'''Places of Power''': After territories are chosen but before armies are deployed, select one terrain feature (this could be an Awakened Wyldwood YOU deploy according to order of operations... might need an FAQ). Friendly Sylvaneth units wholly within 6" of said terrain feature do not take battleshock tests. Interesting buff, it lets you sort of pick a focal point of where you want to commit to battle, and then have your, say, 30 block of dryads get to ignore battleshock while holding up the enemy.

==={{color|#01bbe3|Command Traits}}===
A general of an army with a {{AOSKeyword|SYLVANETH}} allegiance can choose one Command Trait from the lists below (be advised that if you choose your army to be one of the Wargroves, you are forced to take a specific command trait instead of one of these):

'''{{color|#01bbe3|Aspects Of War}}'''
#'''Dread Harvester''': If you charged, you can reroll melee hit rolls.
#'''Gnarled Warrior''': Reroll saves of 1. ''This used to be ignore rend unless it's -2 or better.''
#'''Gift of Ghyran''': Your general heals 1 wound at the start of each of your hero phases. ''This used to bump to D3 if near a wood.''
#'''Lord of Spites''': Reroll all wound rolls of 1. ''This used to be reroll first failed hit roll. So, that's better now.''
#'''Warsinger''': +2 to any charge rolls made for friendly {{AOSKeyword|SYLVANETH}} units that are wholly within 12" of your general. Good choice for turning a spirit path walk into a charge on the same turn; essential for any alpha strike lists. ''Used to be +1 and within 10" (but not wholly).''
#'''Wisdom of the Ancients''': All friendly {{AOSKeyword|SYLVANETH}} units wholly within 12" of your general in the battleshock phase add 1 to their Bravery. Best near revenants, your most vulnerable to battleshock. ''Used to be within 10" (but not wholly).''

'''{{color|#01bbe3|Aspects Of Renewal}}'''

{{AOSKeyword|Wizards}} only
#'''Arcane Bounty''': General knows 1 extra Deepwood spell.
#'''Mystic Regrowth''': If General successfully cast a spell, then heal D3 wounds at end of hero phase.
#'''Voice Of Warding''': General can unbind one extra spell per turn.
#'''Glade Lore''': General gets +1 to casting rolls when wholly within 6" of a wood.
#'''Spellsinger''': General gets +6 range of all spells. Consider using the balewind vortex to double this. ''2019 changes: This used to be the silverwood circlet.''
#'''Radiant Spirit''': If affected by a spell/endless spell, roll a dice, on a 4+ ignore the effect. Note the correct usage of affect and effect.

==={{color|#01bbe3|Artefacts}}===

One {{AOSKeyword|hero}} in an army with a {{AOSKeyword|sylvaneth}} allegiance and has chosen to take the {{AOSKeyword|sylvaneth}} allegiance abilities, plus one {{AOSKeyword|hero}} for every battalion selected, can choose one Artefact from the lists below.

'''{{color|#01bbe3|Weapons Of The Glades}}'''

These affect a single melee weapon belonging to the bearer
#'''Daith's Reaper''': Additional rend of 1. ''Used to be on 6 get -4 rend. Much more useful now.''
#'''Greenwood Gladius''': If the bearer charges, +2 attacks that turn.
#'''Autumns Ire''': Re-roll hits and wounds of 1 as long as the bearer is wounded.
#'''Winnowstaff''': Can re-roll all hits against enemies with Wounds of 1.
#'''Ancient Barkblade''': +1 damage.
#'''The Darkest Bough''': On an unmodified wound roll of 6, deals an additional D3 mortal wounds

'''{{color|#01bbe3|Boons Of The Everqueen}}'''
#'''The Oaken Armour''': Reroll saves of 1. ''Used to be +1 to save rolls.''
#'''Briarsheath''': -1 Hit penalty for anyone attacking the bearer.
#'''Glamourweave''': 5+ save-after-the-save (mortal wounds only). Great for a Spirit of Durthu tanking Wounds because he can use that to protect himself, and also the only thing in the army that ignores mortal wounds. ''Used to be only 6+.''
#'''Lashvines''': For every non-negated wound from a melee weapon, on a 6 from a D6, the attacker takes 1 mortal wound.
#'''Silken Snares''': Ignore rend of -1 from enemies.
#'''Nightbloom Garland''': Unit is invisible to enemy units more than 12" away.

'''{{color|#01bbe3|Verdant Treasures}}'''

#'''Seed of Rebirth''': The first time you lose your last wound roll a D6. On 2+ they come back to life with D3 wounds. Obviously best for a Branchwych/wraith, as a monster with D3 Wounds might as well be dead again. Especially useful on a Branchwych, as if she dies and comes back, she still counts as having taken wounds for the purposes of her bonus. ''Used to not require the dice roll.''
#'''Wraithstone''': Subtract 1 from the Bravery of enemy units within 10" in the Battleshock Phase. Combine with Spite-Revenants for best results.
#'''Everdew Vial''': +2 to run and charge rolls.
#'''Lifewreath''': Roll a dice in hero phase, on 3+ all {{AOSKeyword|sylvaneth}} units wholly within 10" heal +D3 wounds.
#'''Crown Of Fell Bowers''': Pick an enemy within 6" at the start of the combat phase. All friendly {{AOSKeyword|sylvaneth}} can re-roll all wound rolls against them for that phase.
#'''Etherblossom''': Bearer can fly. Durthu will love this.

'''{{color|#01bbe3|Relics Of Nature}}'''

{{AOSKeyword|Wizards}} only.
#'''Acorn of the Ages''': Set up a Wyldwood wholly within 12", one-use only. The old favourite artefact of the one drop armies. You can simply throw a forest-shaped wrench into enemy charge lanes, you can let an isolated Hero summon their own reinforcement spawn point, you can make some cover to make a stand. ''This used to be within 5" (not wholly).''
#'''Spiritsong Stave''': Additional spell cast per turn. Amazing!
#'''The Vesperal Gem''': Once per turn, automatically succeed a Deepwood spell roll, which cannot be unbound. Sounds great.... but, then roll a dice, on a 1 you get D3 mortals. Ouchy. Good thing you have healing out the ass. Amazing relic because while you NEED magic, you don't have a lot of multi spell casters OR casting bonuses. Very solid choice. Note, Verdant Blessing is not part of Deepwood, so no autotree spamming.
#'''Luneth's Lamp''': +2 unbinding/dispelling rolls for endless spells.
#'''Hagbane Spite''': If you successfully unbind a spell, the caster gets 1 mortal.
#'''Wychwood Glaive''': Pick a melee weapon, it gets +2 damage against wizards.

==={{color|#01bbe3|Spell Lore}}===

All {{AOSKeyword|sylvaneth}} {{AOSKeyword|wizard}}s know Verdant Blessing, plus they can take a spell from the Deepwood Spell Lore.

'''Verdant Blessing''' (6+): Casting value 6. Sets up an Awakened Wyldwood wholly within 24". As useful as the Wyldwoods are to you, this spell is pretty good. ''This used to be 18", part of the Deepwood list, and was more or less auto include''.

'''{{color|#01bbe3|Deepwood Spell Lore}}'''

Every '''WIZARD''' in an army with a {{AOSKeyword|sylvaneth}} allegiance and has chosen to take the {{AOSKeyword|sylvaneth}} allegiance abilities can choose one of the following Spells:
#'''Throne of Vines''' (5+): Caster gets +2 to cast, but only as long as you don't move. <s>Amazing</s> MUST TAKE for Allarielle and her three casts per turn, which allows her to summon woods on a 4+ and buff her Metamorphosis! Also a must take on a Branchwraith with stave to help her get the Dryads out more consistently. Note that RAW, this effect stacks! Take on a non moving multi caster and by mid game you won't be able to fail a cast and there will be no way to unbind you. ''This used to be +D3 to cast and unbind.''
#'''Regrowth''' (5+): Casting value 5. Heal D6 Wounds to a friendly, visible {{AOSKeyword|sylvaneth}} unit wholly within 18". TAKE IT. I don't care about your strategy, take it. Alarielle? Take it. Treelord Ancient? Take it. Drycha? Take it unless you want a suicide bomb. ''Used to also heal D3 on non-sylvaneth.''
#'''The Dwellers Below''' (7+): Pick a unit within 10", roll a D6 for every model in the unit, every 6 deals a Mortal Wound. Basically Vermintide/New Treason of Tzeentch. It's good, with a potentially gigantic damage output, but unless used against units of 20+, Arcane Bolt will probably do more.
#'''Deadly Harvest''' (6+): Each enemy unit within 3" gets D3 mortals. Nice when you're stuck in melee, but only really good in combination with the Spellsinger command trait. Also, remember that it gets better against multiple small units, but worse against horde armies - essentially the opposite of Dwellers below. ''This used to be call The Reaping.''
#'''Verdurous Harmony''' (7+): A unit wholly within 18" regains 1 slain model (or D3 for Dryads, Tree/Spite Revs). Amazing spell, just can be a little tricky to consistently cast without bonuses. 'New spell! Is a variant of an old wargrove spell.''
#'''Treesong''' (7+): For one enemy unit within 16" and 6" of a wood, you get to re-roll melee hit and wound rolls of 1 against them. What? Very situational and high casting value. Avoid. ''Completely rewritten, used to move a wood 2D6.''

==={{color|#01bbe3|Endless Spells}}===

Note that unlike the some of the [[Age of Sigmar/Tactics/Malign Sorcery|generic]] endless spells, the Sylvaneth spells can't be used by your opponent against you (other than moving them out of harms way).

*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls//AoS_Gladewyrm_ENG.pdf Gladewyrm]''' (30pts, CV 7, predatory 8"): Ancient protectors of the <s>[[Dune|spice]]</s> realmroots.
**Does D3 mortal wounds to non-{{AOSKeyword|SYLVANETH}} units within 1" and heals D3 wounds to {{AOSKeyword|SYLVANETH}} units wholly within 6" of where it ends up. This only happens on a 3+ and given the relatively high casting value this spell is pretty unreliable!
**Pretty good for the cost. For best effect, lob it in the middle of any combat not involving your battleline.

*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls//AoS_Vengeful_Skullroot_ENG.pdf Vengeful Skullroot]''' (40pts, CV 6, predatory 8"): Spooky tree
**Adds D3 to fleeing non-{{AOSKeyword|SYLVANETH}} models that fail battleshock tests within 3".
**Also does D3 mortal wounds to non-{{AOSKeyword|SYLVANETH}} units it passes across, boosted to D6 if said units are within 3" of an {{AOSKeyword|AWAKENED WYLDWOOD}}.
**If you can get that D6 off, then this is great. Given the myriad ways of avoiding battleshock, and that enemies avoid woods where possible, you might find better use out of the slightly cheaper Gladewyrm.

*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls//AoS_Spiteswarm_Hive_ENG.pdf Spiteswarm Hive]''' (50pts, CV 7): More of Drycha's little gribbles.
**Lets ''you'' (and only you) choose one of the following effects in ''every'' hero phase (including your opponents) each turn it's around: Roll a dice for each {{AOSKeyword|SYLVANETH}} unit wholly within 8", on a 2+ ''either'' add 3" to normal moves and charge moves ''or'' roll re-roll saves of 1.
**Great spell, however be careful when using the move bonus that your models don't get out of range too quickly.
**Best case is to place it halfway between you and an enemy, use the move bonus to get into combat, then use the save bonus during your opponents turn (assuming you survive the first round of combat).
**The small base size helps to stop it getting in the way of movement, assuming you point the gribbles out of the way.

==Glades==
Every Sylvaneth army gets to optionally belong to a glade ''for free'', which gives you an extra ability, command ability, fixes your General's command trait (you cannot choose from the Allegiance Abilities lists) and fixes your first artefact.

The Core FAQ clarifies that if you take Alarielle/Drycha as your general and a Glade, you don't get the Glade's Command Trait.

''2019 Differences: These are named after the Wargroves from the old Battletome, but they're very different. Instead of being battalions, which restrict what units you take, they force you into a set of abilities/artefacts.''

===Dreadwood===

*''Ability'': '''Malicious Tormentors''': Spite Revs reroll hits of 1.
*''Command Ability'': '''Sinister Ambush''': Once per turn, take a unit within 18" of a Hero and replace them anywhere on the battlefield, >9" of enemy units.
*''Command Trait'': '''Paragon Of Terror''': Enemy units reroll successful battleshock tests when within 6" of your general.
*''Artefact'': '''Jewel Of Withering''': -1 to melee wound rolls attacking the bearer.

The spooky choice. Gives a reason to use lots of Spite-Revenants. The battleshock reroll jells nicely with the Spite's -1 bravery buff, and hit rerolls on top of their 3+ to hit should make them terrifying. The teleporting is only good for deep striking a single unit, but combine with wyldwood teleporting and you can also throw over a bunch of Treelords and a big unit of Dryads at the same time.

===Gnarlroot===

*''Ability'': '''Shield The Arcane''': Units reroll hits of 1 when within 12" of friendly Gnarlroot Wizards.
*''Command Ability'': '''The Earth Defends''': One unit within 12" of a hero negates wounds or mortal wounds on 6+ for that combat phase.
*''Command Trait'': '''Nurtured By Magic''': Once per turn, if your general successfully casts a spell, a unit wholly within 18" heals D3 wounds.
*''Artefact'': '''Chalice Of Nectar''': Roll 3 dice when casting or unbinding and discard one of your choice.

The magicy life choice.
*The ability to reroll 1s (for free) overlaps with the Arch-Revenant, so reasonable chance you already have that covered. But might be an excuse to drop Archie, freeing up 100 sweet points, or use both to further extend across your army (remember, Archie isn't a wizard).
*Command ability is best left for emergency damage limitation on a crucial unit that somehow got into melee, unless you're really good at rolling sixes and have lots of spare CPs.
*The Chalice, which means the bearer well may never fail a cast, sounds awesome at first glance, but it won't make you into a top-tier spellcaster. Your best wizard, Alarielle can't take artefacts (neither can Drycha), so that leaves a you with a Wraith, Wych or Ancient. With your artefact slot taken, the only way to boost your number of casts is to use the the Balewind Vortex on the edge of a wood with the Wraith or Wych, essentially giving you a branchwych bomb (see Branchwych section) or supercharging your Dryad summoner and making them a big target. Safest option is to use it by itself on your Wraith (hidden deep in a wood) to 'almost' guarantee those Dryad summons.
**Vesperal Gem (which guarantees the cast, but with a small chance of mortals) is roughly equivalent to the Chalice without tying you to a glade. This can then be supplemented with Spellsinger (+6 range, which you can double by using the balewind vortex), or Winterleaf/Harvestboon/Dreadwood if you're taking a battalion.
*The trait, whilst great at keeping stuff alive, is limited the same way as the Chalice - Wych, Wraith or Ancient only. Great for keeping an Ancient alive and keeping the damage table topped up. Wraith is less than ideal as you ideally want her away from the action.

===Heartwood===

*''Ability'': '''Courage for Kurnoth''': +1 Bravery wholly within 12" of heroes.
*''Command Ability'': '''Lord of the Hunt''': [[Markerlight|Reroll melee hit and wound rolls of 1 against 1 enemy unit within 12" of a hero]].
*''Command Trait'': '''Legacy of Valour''': If the general is slain, do D3 mortal wounds to an enemy unit within 1" on a 2+. On a 6, do D6 instead.
*''Artefact'': '''Horn of the Consort''': Reroll hits for Kurnoth Hunters wholly within 12".

The reliability choice. The CA overlaps with the Artefact as is a better version of the free one you get with Arch Revenant (now you get wound rolls too). Trait is an added bonus for any hero you ''expect'' to die on in melee somewhere - again, Durthu comes to mind. Those mortals could quite easily finish of that unit he just couldn't quite shift. Bravery boost is nothing to be sniffed at. Put the artefact on the Arch Revenant and have her babysit some Bows (with her +1 attacks and rerolls of 1), then as the battle shifts to meleem, run 18" (that plus two lots of 12" range is 42") to the frontlines to boost your Swords and Scythes. Or throw on a Wych near the bows and put Archie at the front to benefit from both reroll abilities.

===Harvestboon===

*''Ability'': '''Vibrant Surge''': Reroll melee hits of 1 after charging that turn.
*''Command Ability'': '''Fertile Ground''': A unit within 12" of the General gets +1 attacks to all melee weapons.
*''Command Trait'': '''Seek New Fruit''': After attacking, your General can move 6", ending more than 3" from enemy units.
*''Artefact'': '''The Silent Sickle''': One melee weapon of the bearer gets +1 attacks.

The Sparta General choice.
*To make decent use of the Command Trait, you're going to be taking Durthu (or maybe an Ancient on 1000pt games). Similarly, the Artefact is best used on Durthu (or Ancient).
*The Command Ability and Ability are both more-or-less covered with the Arch-Revenant. Either use this as a replacement for the Archie, or load both Command Abilities onto a single unit (assuming you've been holding back the CPs) for +2. Use these on your Kurnoths or your already powered up Durthu. Damn.

===Ironbark===

*''Ability'': '''Stubborn And Taciturn ''': Reroll battleshock tests when wholly within 12" of any heroes.
*''Command Ability'': '''Stand Firm''': Pick one enemy unit that charges within 1", roll a dice. On 2+ they get D3 mortals.
*''Command Trait'': '''Mere Rainfall''': Your General rerolls saves against missile weapons.
*''Artefact'': '''Ironbark Talisman''': +1 for melee wound rolls.

In addition, you get Dispossed and Fyreslayers as allies.

The dwarven choice. Rainfall will probably just make your opponent target elsewhere (but you are forcing that choice upon them). Stand Firm is going to stop any small heroes from charging you.

===Oakenbrow===

*''Ability'': '''Our Roots Run Deep''': Subtract 2 from wounds taken by Treelords of all varieties when looking at the damage table.
*''Command Ability'': '''Yield To None''': Battleshock immunity wholly within 16" of a selected hero.
*''Command Trait'': '''Regal Old-growth''': +1 wound.
*''Artefact'': '''Dawnflask''': 6+ save against wounds and mortal wounds.

The Treelord choice. With all the point reductions to Treelords this sounds like a good idea, but with how terrible the bonuses are, you should probably just use a better Grove. The ability is going to keep Durthu's sword at full strength for twice as long (Up to 4 wounds taken, instead of 2) - but sadly the trait doesn't stack here.

===Winterleaf===

*''Ability'': '''Winter's Bite''': For ''all your units'', unmodified melee hit rolls of 6 score 2 hits.
*''Command Ability'': '''Branch Blizzard''': Extra 12" shooting attack. Roll a dice for each model in target unit, each 6+ is one mortal.
*''Command Trait'': '''My Heart Is Ice''': Every melee wound inflicted on your general, roll a dice, on a 5+ the attacker gets one mortal.
*''Artefact'': '''Frozen Kernel''': Once per game at the start of the combat phase, 1 friendly WINTERLEAF unit wholly with 18" of the bearer can pile in and attack twice. It does the second pile in and attack right after the first time it attacks, and only if it is still within 3" of an enemy unit.

The obvious choice.
*The ability exploding sixes is super deadly. The math works out as more or less the same as +1 to hit. And this is ''across your whole army!''
*The general's feedback on 5+'s in melee can also be super deadly. Can also help keep your guy alive - on a straight Behemoth vs Behemoth fight, those 5+'s will weaken your opponents attacks as it drops down its damage table.
*Regardless of how you play it, the Kernel is always super deadly. But it needs a bit of finesse to ensure you pick the best moment to use it - given that you choose at the start of the phase when to use it, it's very easy to super power something that didn't need it. Make sure to use it before your general is killed too.
*The shooting attack isn't quite so super deadly as everything else, but who cares when you have everything else above. Mostly only of use against hordes and if you've got plenty of spare CPs (which you won't).
*If you're unsure what to take, unsure of how to play Sylvaneth and just want to throw everything into combat then just take Winterleaf. Simple. Super deadly.
*On 1000pt games, where you can only really squeeze in a single big guy, and you really want to take Drycha, then Winterleaf is still useful. Simply make Archie/Wraith/Wych your general. Sure, the Command Trait is wasted, but the Ability and Artefact are still really good.

==Warscrolls==
==={{color|#dda16f|Named Leaders}}===

*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls//AoS_Sylvaneth_Alarielle_ENG.pdf Alarielle the Everqueen]:''' (600pts). As expected from the next big over-the-top God model, Alarielle is downright terrifying. Specifics? Sure.
**The lady has a massive pool of 16 Wounds with a 3+ Save and yet she still rocks a 16" Flying Move stat.
**She can heal a Sylvaneth models around her for D3 each turn.
** She also has a strong throwing spear with massive 30" range and the beetle hits harder than anything else in the game. It's so damn strong it damages people standing nearby if it charges and has five damage 5(!) attacks. And her other weapon is basically the Massive Impaling Talon, but supercharged and with 4 attacks and any hit rolls of 6 score D3 mortal wounds.
**Like Nagash, Archaon and Morathi, she is not really something you compare to normal models. She's too powerful for that. She's simply something you try to survive.
**Three casts per turn. Use them to cast Malign Sorcery endless spells and consider giving her the Throne of Vines spell.
**She gets a one shot unblockable summon of a Treelord (regular), 3x Kurnoths, 20x Dryads, 10x Tree- or Spite-Revenants or, umm, a single Branchwych. This effectively dropping her cost by ~200 points, and you get to decide which unit to spend those ~200 points on during the game. Remember, you've probably already got your Dryad summoning covered by the Branchwraiths.
**Back down to 600 points (as per FAQ). If you think you can keep her alive, then she's now a good pick.
**Her spell Metamorphosis (7+), you roll as many dice as the casting roll, and each 4+ deals a mortal to a unit within 16". If that kills the enemy, then you can place a wood there.
**''2019 Differences: Talon no longer auto kills, instead dealing Mortal Wounds, and the spell Metamorphosis is more expensive. However, Battering Ram is now based on the model rather than a terrain piece, but only effects enemy units and Ghyran's Wrath can be used every time (for a CP).''

*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls//AoS_Drycha_Hamadreth_ENG.pdf Drycha Hamadreth]:''' (300pts). Drycha is back and more pissed off than ever.
**Now if an unmodified hit roll from Flitterfuries or Squirmlings is a 6, it's a mortal wound instead of going through the attack sequence.
**Flitterfuries are an 18" shooting attack with 10 attacks single damage, rend -1. Meanwhile Squirmlings are 2" melee attack, also with 10 attacks single damage, but not rend. At the start of each battle round, you can choose what mood she's in, and as a result one of these attack doubles to 20!
**In addition, her talons give another 6 attacks at damage 2, rend -2. This lady is a beast!
**She's also excessively fast with a 9" Move that is not weakened by her damage table.
**Her spell (6+) scores D3 damage to every unit within 10" based on a roll against the unit's bravery. This ends up being difficult to score damage against high bravery armies such as Death. This spell combos up with her relationship to Spite-Revenants though. The Spites lower enemy Bravery in order to power her damage-off-of-Bravery spell whereas she grants them better To Wound rolls.
**''2019 Differences: She's gone up from 280 points. For that you get both Flitterfuries and Squirmlings, which now have normal attack profiles instead of mortals, but the slendervines attack has gone. You get to choose her mood, instead of rolling, but it's effect isn't quite as good. The spell is simplified, both reducing its max damage, but making it more likely do damage.''

*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/Downloads/aos-warscroll-yltharis-guardians-en.pdf Ylthari]:''' (180pts, with Guardians) Shadespire Hero takes root in AOS.
**Requires you to bring Ylthari's Guardians along with.
**Similar to a Branchwych with a bit more melee power and is labelled a {{AOSKeyword|thornwych}}.
**Re-rolls wound rolls of 1.
**Her spell (6+) is a supercharged arcane bolt, giving you an average of 2 mortals per cast.
**Might be best leaving her for Shadespire. You're paying 20 points more for her and the Guardian's than you would for a Branchwych and 5 Tree Revenants and not really gaining much in return.
**Labelled Oakenbow, which as per FAQ, means that if you take another glade, these guys do not benefit from glade bonus. Which makes her now even more useless than before.
**''2019 Differences: New for 2019!''

==={{color|#dda16f|Generic Leaders}}===

*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls//AoS_Branchwraith_ENG.pdf Branchwraith]:''' (80pts) Essential summoning support
**As a Hero she sports a very meh stat wheel with the exception of her above average movement speed (7"). Her melee will offer only token resistance to opponents, big surprise, she's a Wizard after all, but when in a wood, she gets -1 to hits made against her, which helps. Although you shouldn't really ever be getting her into combat, she should ideally spend her life hidden in woods, teleporting between them.
**That summoning though allows you to summon 10 Dryads ''every turn''. Game breaking? Well, not quite. Firstly you need to successfully cast and not get unbound; secondly said Dryads need placing in a wyldwood more than 9" from an enemy. You basically have to put a forest in your backfield and just use it to churn out dryads, then teleport them where you need them to go. You could be looking at 2-3 movement phases before they can charge anything. If you have any sense you will keep this crazy looking plant lady in your starting Wyldwood (making the lady harder to hit, plus raising her Save like normal cover) or behind your Wyldwood keeping her out of unbind range (30").
**Consider giving your wraith anything that bumps the spell cast (7+, 58.3% chance) to try and guarantee a whole 100pts of Dryads every turn. Take the Stave for an additional cast plus the Throne spell; cast throne (5+, 83.3% chance) then summon at 5+ (again, 83.3% chance). Turn two, another throne cast and you are down to needing 3+. Keep going and you're more or less guaranteed that cast, plus it'll be impossible to unbind. Plus in later turns also gives you the bonus of a cheeky bolt/shield/harmony cast. If you really don't want to use up that artefact slot then another option is taking a battalion and Gnarlroot - the chalice gives her 3 dice, discarding 1, giving you a 74.5% chance.
**Consider taking two Branchwraiths. Use the second one for verdant blessing wood summonings. If the Dryad summoning wraith dies, you have a spare one. Now you can afford to be a little riskier and put one in a wood near the front lines to get those new Dyrads into combat quicker, or get those woods out further. And if that's convinced you, then maybe you want to consider a third Branchwraith. Arm them with an array of Deepwood spells and you should always have something useful to cast, especially given turn 5 (or even 4) it might not be useful to summon more bodies that you won't get into combat. This is probably overboard.
**''2019 Differences: Just some distances changing to wholly within.''

*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls//AoS_Branchwych_ENG.pdf Branchwych]:''' (80pts) Aggressive support wizard.
**Same meh stat wheel as the Branchwraith, but with slightly better melee.
**As long as she's taken at least one wound in damage, she gets 2 extra attacks on her scythe.
**Her spell Unleash Spites (5+) is a damaging pulse effecting all enemy units within 9". It works best against the more units that are in range - If there are only 1 or 2 target units in range, then arcane bolt will usually do more damage than the pulse, but it gets better against more units, of course. On average, you'll expect 1.11 mortal wounds per unit.
**In Skirmish, the pulse is extremely broken, as ''every'' model is a unit. So, get within range of the front line and suddenly every model is hit with rolling a ''minimum'' of 5 dice, giving mortal wounds on sixes. Most of those models are single wound chaff, because skirmish doesn't allow you to take any of the good stuff, and you've got a game winning massacre. Sadly that pulse is the only thing we've got going for ourselves in Skirmish.
**The oft whispered about ''Branchwych Bomb'' involves sticking her on a Balewind Vortex inside a mid to frontline wood, giving her Deadly Harvest, Spellsinger, and using whatever casting bonuses you can get hold of. Then sit back and cast both spells, spamming mortals out in 21" and 15" bubbles. In practice you're tying up far too much to get this off reliably. Just don't run crying when your 5 wound guy gets wiped out pronto after one round of this. Clearly hilarious if you can get it to work.
***It's possible to invest even more into this strategy by adding an Umbral Spellportal, but even that doesn't make it worthwhile.
**Difficult to recommend her when you can get a spare Dryad summoning Branchwraith for the same cost, and give her Dwellers Below which isn't that much worse than Unleash Spites.
**''2019 Differences: scythe attacks bonus is better as it is now whilst damaged, instead of just that turn. Also some distances changing to wholly within.''

*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls//AoS_Spirit_of_Durthu_ENG.pdf Spirit of Durthu]:''' (300pts) This is <s> SPARTAAAAA</s> *ahem* supercharged Treelord.
**The Spirit of Durthu is an absolute damage monster, with extremely powerful shooting, terrifying melee and all the standard tricks of the vanilla Treelord.
**NOT a named character (and therefore not reduced to 0-1 in Matched Play, etc etc), but very expensive.
**A shooting attack that is basically the vanilla Treelord's Strangleroots on steroids, with higher range, more shots and higher damage per shot.
**His sword is just about as terrifying as it looks, with constant damage 6 so long as he stays in good health and 2 bonus attacks for being near a wood.
**You really need those big melee attacks to actually hit. So have consider having your Sylvaneth be from Ghyran, and give your Spirit of Durthu the Ghyrstrike Relic. 3 attacks (plus 2 if near a wyldwood), 2+ to hit, 2+ to wound, 6 damage. Holy good fuck.
**That damage table is a killer for him. Just two wounds and he goes from 6 to D6 damage. Do the math, and a block of Kurnoth's will output a lower higher end, but similar average output and degrade slower.
**He also adds 1 to the Bravery of friendly Sylvaneth.
**Now only 300 points since the FAQ. Maybe we'll start seeing him in lists again.
**''2019 Differences: Other than the stuff copied across from the Vanilla Treelord, he loses the damaging shooting supercharge and the ability to take wounds from others (not that either were used much). The bonus for being near a wood is a fixed 2 attacks instead of D3. So, no practical changes, but he has gone down from 380 points! Drycha and Durthu are almost level pegging, and make for a scary combo.''

*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls//AoS_Treelord_Ancient_ENG.pdf Treelord Ancient]:''' (260pts). The swiss army knife Treelord
**If Durthu is a supercharged Treelord, then this is the slightly weaker but more useful version. He retains all the abilities and powers of the vanilla.
**Compare to a Vanilla Treelord, this guy has 1" less movement and 1 less attack on its Sweeping Blows. This doesn't seem like much, but the drop from 4 to 3 attacks is actually quite drastic. And what does this old fella get in return? An extra 3 to its Bravery, 18" range on its strangle roots, gains a command ability and becoming a freakin' wizard!
**His unique spell will do D3 damage to any enemy units on or around your woods. It's either a great deterrent to entering your woods or a great punishment if the opponent was dumb enough to actually do it.
**Once per battle he can unconditionally summon a new wood. This makes him an almost must take if you want a ''guaranteed'' second wood out on your first turn. Note this is once per game, not once per Ancient per game. Wholly within 18" is not that long a range, so if you're dropping turn one (before you've moved anything) you're not going to be using it for backline deep striking. However, If you teleport the Ancient to the wood, then next turn a 24" verdant blessing wood should give you all the range you need.
**Has a Command Ability that lets all the Sylvaneth around him reroll saves of 1s.
**He's got a lot of stuff going on. And now at 260 points maybe he's decent value, ''if'' you use everything he has to offer. Possibly works best in 1000pt lists where you've got less room other stuff.
**''2019 Differences: Other than the stuff copied across from the Vanilla Treelord, the wood summons is just once unconditionally instead of on a 4+, and some distances changing to wholly within.''

*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls//AoS_Arch_Revenant_ENG.pdf Arch-Revenant]:''' (100pts) A newbie in the Sylvaneth ranks, added with the Looncurse battlebox.
**Is very fast, with a move of 12" and an ability to fly until she loses her mount (see below).
**Has the best non-Behemoth Hero melee in Sylvaneth (which doesn't say much): three 2" 3+/3+/-2 Dmg 2 attacks with her glave and a single 4+/3+ Dmg D3 attack with her mount.
**Slightly more survivable than a Branchwych, with five wounds, a 4+ save and an ability to sacrifice her mount to negate one allocated normal or mortal wound.
**Has a shield for either defensive or offensive use: at the start of the combat phase you may chose to use it to re-roll either save rolls or hit rolls of 1.
**Automatically buffs Kurnoth Hunters within 12" of herself, allowing them to re-roll hit rolls of 1 (both melee and shooting).
**Has a great command ability, adding 1 attack to each model's weapon in a unit within 9" (12" if the Arch-Revenant is your General). Combine this ability with alpha-striking unit of Tree-Revenants, or buff the hell out of Kurnoth Sword/Scythes - either way, it'll really hurt your opponent. Only works in the melee phase, so no buffing Kurnoth bows.
**The Arch-Revenant's Call to Battle can be used on the Kurnoth Hunters or units near them as long as she is anywhere the board (due to Envoys of the Everqueen) to boost your damage output. Keep her safe!
**''2019 Differences: New for 2019!''

==={{color|#dda16f|Battleline}}===
''Unconditional battleline''

*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls//AoS_Dryads_ENG.pdf Dryads]:''' (100/270pts, min 10, max 30) Your rank and file angry trees. These ladies are thankfully quite versatile and so can be used for a variety of situations.
**At first glance the ladies don't look like much, having only a 5+ Save and 2 attacks at 4+/4+/-/1. But they quickly become incredible as in units of 10+ they gain +1 Save, they hit on 3+ in your combat phase and they also have 2" range on their attacks, letting them fight in thick, two-row hedges. They also profit from being near a wood (-1 to hits against them), this is in addition to +1 save for being in cover. They are also very fast at 7". Keep them in big units as the Save-bonus and the 2" range heavily reward you for doing so.
**You can abuse their buffed save rolls by adding a unit of Sisters of the Thorn so you can reroll failed saves (which also deals a mortal on 6), so a large unit in a wood now has 3+ with reroll. For chaff, that's pretty damn good. However, those Sisters are going to cost you a fair bit in return.
**With Cities of Sigmar, Sisters of the Thorn's spell can only be used on WANDERERS unit, so Dryads cannot make use of it anymore.
**Remember to bring at least an additional 20 of these for the Branchwraith to summon. Unless you plan on playing super defensive, you won't need more than 30 spare.
**''2019 Differences: Wholly within measuring means no more daisy chains across the board. However, the large unit bonus is now 10 instead of 12. With all the other changes going on, pure Dryad spamming is probably no longer our strongest build.''

''Battleline in {{AOSKeyword|SYLVANETH}}''

*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls//AoS_Tree_Revenants_ENG.pdf Tree-Revenants]:''' (80/420pts, min 5, max 30) Troops for tricksy players - not your mainline infantry.
**At first glance look disappointing, with basically the same stat-wheel as Dryads but lower Move. Now here's where it gets good....
**They have Rend in melee, unlike the Drayds.
**They have the coolest rerolls in the game, getting to reroll 1 dice per ''phase''. So this seems wonky in melee, doesn't it? Well, it also allows them to reroll the dice to run, one of the charge dice, the Battleshock dice... you get the picture.
**The standards allow them to pile in 6" which lets them get more attacks in.
**Most importantly, the musician allows them to use a better Spirit Paths rule, letting you take them off the table and then place them '''anywhere''' on the table more than 9" from enemy units.
**Leader either gets two additional attacks or +1 damage.
**Do ''not'' use these guys as as you would Dryads. They aren't particularly killy, they will die quickly if attacked first and their kit is way too expensive to use lots of them. They are for board control:
***Charge blockers. Save until your opponent gets ready to charge a very killy unit they want to get into combat asap, then teleport a wall of Revenants in front. Revenants will die instantly in the following combat, but it'll free up your more important units.
***Back line threatening. Your opponent can no longer keep those war machines, Jezzails and Poisoned Wind Mortars unguarded. Minimum-size squads of them also have just high enough of a damage output to cut all the aforementioned units to ribbons. But, you will say, the 9" charge after teleporting is improbable. No. Since they can reroll one of the charge dice, they are more likely to make that charge than to fail it. A good rule of thumb is to use 2 units of minimum size. That way, it's very likely at least one of them will make the charge and then they will more than likely deal enough damage to neuter the war machine you attacked.
***Objective taking. Without any Revenants, your opponent might decide to leave a captured objective unguarded. With Revenants either you can teleport and grab the objective or they'll be wise to this and need to keep a unit tied up - one big enough to survive a teleport and charge strike.
**''2019 Differences: Teleporting is now anywhere instead of near a wood or table edge. It's a small change, but a good one.''

*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls//AoS_Spite_Revenants_ENG.pdf Spite-Revenants]:''' (60/200pts, min 5, max 20) Less tricksy, more creepy Tree-Revenants.
**No rend and single damage, but 3 attacks at +3/+3 each!
**They also exist to muck around with enemy Bravery. They flat reduce the Bravery of enemies around them, which combos well with Drycha's unique spell. Plus they force them to reroll passed battleshock tests. Even Death armies can end up with some battleshock losses.
**1" range means it'll be tricky getting all 61 attacks of a 20 model unit fully into combat.
**Your glass cannon battleline: Hits really hard, dies really quickly. Use Dryads for staying power.
**200 points for 20 of these is the same as Dryads! Against bad save hordes these guys might be the superior option. Sadly, it'll hurt your wallet a lot more - £90 for 20 vs £31.25 for the same in Dryads (add in your own local currency multiplier).
**''2019 Differences: 10 points drop, the scenery rule is switched for the rerolling battleshock, and attacks are up from +4/+4 to +3/+3, that's a huge boost! Finally these are a valid battleline option. GW must really want people to start playing these guys.''

==={{color|#dda16f|Other Troops}}===

*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls//AoS_Kurnoth_Hunters_Greatswords_ENG.pdf Kurnoth Hunters With Kurnoth Greatswords]:''' (190pts, min 3, max 12) The ultimate wooden killing machine.
**Incredible. Each of these guys is basically a minor Hero at 5 Wounds and a 4+ Save.
**The sword tosses out 4 attacks at -1 Rend and damage 2. And deals an additional mortal wounds on wound rolls of 6.
**When melee attacking, if they don't need to move (other than 1" pile in), they can gain the ability to re-roll saves.
***Since the warscroll only says at the start of the charge phase but doesn't specify whose, they can technically charge and pile in normally in your charge phase and then use Tanglethorn Thicket in your opponent's if you went first.
**At the end of combat you deal mortal wounds on a 4+ for each model in your unit
**They also channel Command Abilities. When you use a Command ability, any unit wholly within 12" of a Kunroth is also counted as being in range of the casting hero.
**GW has switched the points for these up and down over the years. Down again slightly for 2020
**Consider pretending you're playing 40K and magnetise the arms for different weapon loadouts below. If you fix the weapons on one unit then you'll have enough shoulder pads spare to better magnetise a second unit. The Quiverbugs are trickier to magnetise. Sadly there are no official rules for using plasma cannons.
**These guys are crazy good now, especially if you take them in Winterleaf. Stick an Arch-Revenant next to a unit, send into something big, and watch it go **POOF**. Pop command ability for 10 attacks hitting on 3+, 5 attacks on 2+, reroll 1's to hit, with 6's causing mortal wounds AND extra attacks?! All wounding on 3's with their -1 rend and flat 2 damage (Bonus points for using the Frozen Kernel so they can do it again. Even Nagash will tremble in terror.)
**''2019 Differences: Other than the warscroll split, failed saves confusion has been fixed, some range changes, improvement to the end of combat damage. Plus swords get an extra mortal. Even stronger than before. With the mortal wounds buff, better than scythes against everything, though with 1" less range.''

*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls//AoS_Kurnoth_Hunters_Scythes_ENG.pdf Kurnoth Hunters With Kurnoth Scythes]:''' (190pts, min 3, max 12)
**Same as above, but with longer weapon range of the scythes, which tosses out 3 attacks at Rend -2 and damage D3. The scythes do more damage against 2+ saves, break even against 3+ and the swords win against everything else. But that's before taking into account the mortal wounds on 6 the Swords deal out (which the scythes don't get).
**In general the swords are your better option (especially given how rare 2+ and even 3+ saves are in AoS).
**However, the scythes have 2" reach. You'll want this for units of 6 or more to get them all into combat or if you want to place a screen of Dryads (preferably on the edge of a woods) or Revenants in front and attack through them. Tricksier players will go for the scythes.
**''2019 Differences: Same as the swords variant, except for no new additional weapon damage.''

*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls//AoS_Kurnoth_Hunters_Greatbows_ENG.pdf Kurnoth Hunters With Kurnoth Greatbows]:''' (190pts, min 3, max 12)
**Same as above, but now with ranged weapons.
**A stunning 30" range, two shots per model and D3 damage per shot, these guys are basically artillery.
**You also get the adorable Quiverlings who do the melee fighting for them, being very non-threatening, but remember, these guys are tough as nails and you can shoot into melee. Does a lot less damage overall than melee weapons, and you can only shoot during your turn (unlike melee, effectively halving the potential damage done per game), but that range means you won't be getting attacked back. How dare they! The Quiverlings are no longer the source of their melee damage! Somehow, the giant tree people have learned to punch things of their own accord now
**Take into account our woods block line of sight (so no camping in woods) and Look Out Sir means you should probably avoid sniping guarded heroes.
**Bows were the best option in original AOS, no longer so essential in AOS2.
**''2019 Differences: Same as the swords variant, except for no new additional weapon damage.''

*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/Downloads/aos-warscroll-yltharis-guardians-en.pdf Ylthari’s Guardians]:''' (Free with Ylthari) Shadespire Tree Revenants without the good stuff.
**Can only be taken along with Ylthari.
**Tree Revenants without a musician or banner, so you loose the pile in and teleport abilities.
**In return you get three different weapon profiles (sword, glaive, bow), which are upgrades on the Tree Revenants.
**Plus on a D6 3+ you get to attack first, which is going to make them a lot less fragile than standard Tree Revenants.
**You also lose the Tree Revs reroll any dice per phase, but you can reroll wounds of 1.
**Labelled {{AOSKeyword|tree revenant}}, but Ylthari isn't. As written means you can include them in Tree Revenant battalion requirements, even though you still have to bring along Ylthari who wouldn't then be in the battalion. Needs an FAQ to confirm.
**Rules as Written their Martial Memories ability will cause themselves and ANY other Tree-Revenant unit within 3" of enemy units to fight first, on a 3+, in the combat phase. This needs playtesting to see if it's worth the points, but in theory it sounds almost too good to be true. You'd bring Ylthari's Guardians to turn your decent Tree-Revenants into better than Dryad melee blenders. Yeah, that's gone as of the battletome. Now Martial Memories is the same as the ability on the Tree-Revenants.
**''2019 Differences: New for 2019!''

*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls//aos_skaeths_wild_hunt_en.pdf Skaeth’s Wild Hunt]:''' (120pts, min/max 5) Straight outa Beatsgrave
**5 unique models with ok melee (max damage of six wounds with all models) and a little bit of shooting (a single close range and single far range attack)
**One wound each, but the leader gets one extra. And the one of them is a Wizard.
**Might be easier to just think of these guys as a 120pt six wound wizard with a behemoth damage table. Remember, each model killed results in fewer attacks/abilities. Just make sure you remove the models you most care about last.
**Spell (CV 7), as long as the model lives, gives you +1 to wounds rolls on a nearby unit, which is neat. Especially given that's something not covered elsewhere in the faction. Sadly it's a fairly high casting value.
**They can still charge and shoot after running, not that you'll be charging them much.
**Unique and not a hero.
**Really, the +1 wounds spell to work alongside your other buffs is the reason you'll be taking these guys. In an either/or choice, the Arch Revenant is 20pts cheaper and better, and the wych/wraiths are 50% cheaper if you just want a wizard.
**Like Ylthari, labelled Oakenbow, which as per FAQ, means that if you take another glade, these guys do not benefit from the glade bonus. Which makes them now even more useless than before.

===Behemoths===

*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls//AoS_Treelord_ENG.pdf Treelord]:''' (180pts) ''The'' Walking Tree. (aka Groot)
**[[DISTRACTION CARNIFEX]] with appropriate stats to match.
**At the start of combat he can stomp and on a 4+ cause one enemy unit to fight at the end of combat.
**You get a single attack at rend -2, and on a 6 it goes from 1 damage to D6 mortal wounds.
**Instead of moving, if close to a wood, he can teleport to another wood, more than 9" from enemies. This is in addition to the single unit that can do the same using the allegiance ability. Deep Strike!
**And they can also shoot, which is decent, not much worse than a unit of Bow Kurnoths.
**It should be remembered that these guys class as monsters and carry all the baggage that comes with that (You know declining stats, Large model, everyone wants to shoot it. that sort of thing), its still a pretty kickass unit.
**Everything this guy can do, Durthu and the Ancient can do, and more. But you're paying appropriately for them.
**This guy rarely sees usage. He's not a bad choice, it's just Kurnoth's, at only 20 points more, are a better choice. And if you really want him, the Ancient and Durthu give you more.
**''2019 Differences: Stomp has changed from causing -1 to hits against, impale has been simplified. And down from 240 points!''

===Scenery===

*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls//AoS_Awakened_Wyldwood_ENG.pdf Awakened Wyldwood]:''' Trees everywhere.
**New models!
**An Awakened Wyldwood consists of 3-6 citadel woods arranged to form a circle. Everything inside is treated as woods.
**A Citadel wood is a single tree with a bit of base. They come in packs of three, which when formed into a circle are roughly the same size as the old dinner plate model.
**FAQ states you can use one old citadel wood model as one awakened wood terrain piece. Given that one old wood is roughly the same size of 3 new woods, you're at a disadvantage using them.
**Line of sight blockers, so no camping your shooters in woods.
**If a wizard casts a spell near a wood, then all nearby non-Sylvaneth get D3 mortals on a 5+.
**At the end of the charge phase, all nearby non-Sylvaneth get D3 mortals on a 6.
**Remember those damages hurt your allies and your ally in doubles games.
**All Treelords and one other unit per turn can teleport between two of these instead of moving.
**Branchwraiths, Branchwyches, Dryads and Durthu all gain bonuses for being near a wood.
**As per the allegiance ability, you can place one of these at the start of the game. The Acorn artefact and the Treelord Ancient can both unconditionally place one wood per game. The verdant blessing spell (6+) is known by all our wizards and can place a new wood per turn if successfully cast. Alarielle can set up a new wood after killing a unit with her spell (if there is room).
**Your first wood needs to be more than 6" from an objective, but none of the other wood placements have that restriction.
**Your opponent is going to want to place lots of scenery during setup and then spread out during the first turn in order to block our wood placements. A situation made worse by the increase in faction specific scenery. You could quite easily end up only get out the start wood and one more during an entire game. Getting first turn can help mitigate this.
**The new models will mean an end to tree-less bases, and they'll fit in your army storage box. However, it's yet to be seen how many of these you're going to need to bring along per game and whether they are as crucial as they were in previous additions. You could end up bringing along 8 packs of these, which still ends up being a significant upfront cost for the army and it's still a lot of extra plastic you're carting around between games.
**Note that the entire inside of the ring of woods is counted as part of the Awakened Wyldwood, which means you can't use a wildwood to surround another piece of scenery or objective.
**''2019 Differences: New models! No longer auto kills small guys after charge/runs, instead doing damage by just being close. Max footprint of a wood has shrunk by a third.''

==Battalions==

===Forest Folk===
'''''A Branchwraith and three units of Dryads''''' ''140pts (520pts min -> 1,030pts max)''

Units can retreat and then still charge that turn.

Great for controlling the flow of combat. Essentially the opposite of Household. Stops your tar pits getting locked into combat with something you didn't want to, usually due to them charging first. Alternatively, if done correctly, you can bypass combat screens - charge into the screen one turn, then the following turn, retreat further up the board and charge your real target. Ignore the Branchwraith here, she's just included to reduce the number of drops.

''2019 Differences: Replaces the old ability that lets you take the entire Battalion off the table and then redeploy them close to your Wyldwoods.''

===Free Spirits===

'''''A Spirit of Durthu and three units of Kurnoth Hunters''''' ''140pts (1,080pts min -> 2,880pts max)''

Always rolls a 6 for a run.

Nice. Running instead of charging allows you to tanglethorn for save rerolls when the enemy charges in the following turn. You'll be wanting Scythes because you'll need the range on your tiny pile in. Don't use it to try and deepstrike Durthu or the like if board placement has denied you getting out any woods, as you'll now have lone units who can no longer shoot or charge until the next turn vulnerable to counterattack.

If you are taking these units, then you probably are also want the cheapest battleline you can get hold of, which is 3x5 Spites - and if you're doing ''that'', then Outcasts is 40 points cheaper. Anyone wanting three artefacts, then this and Outcasts together would work.

''2019 Differences: Much simpler than the old ability where you move twice but has to be closer to some scenery''

===Household===

'''''A vanilla Treelord, a Branchwych and a unit of Tree-Revenants''''' ''100pts (440pts min -> 780pts max)''

Units locked in combat with the Household cannot retreat.

That's an amazing ability for controlling the board, sadly the unit choices aren't the best. However, consider a blob of 30 freely teleporting Tree Revenants with 6" pile ins (and a 60pt hoard discount) and you're going to lock down whatever threats ''you'' want to for multiple turns until they chew through or die. Use the woods to throw your Treelord followed by Branchwych bomb to lock down a different unit elsewhere. Now consider how much six boxes of Revenants is going to cost to do this. Yeah.

''2019 Differences: The old version also had +1 Bravery, but that's gone now.''

===Lords of the Clan===

'''''Two to four Treelord Ancients and one to three normal Treelords''''' ''60pts (760pts min -> 1640 max)''

During your shooting phase, every enemy within 6" of 2+ Treelords, gets D3 mortals on a 2+ roll.

At 60 points, this is a bargain given it's only 10 more than a command point, and If you really want lots of trees then this is a no brainer. Ability requires you teleport deep strike in pairs, but you won't get those mortals until ''your'' next turn after charging (assuming the whole pair stays alive). Having to take two Ancients is the tax here - most the Ancient's abilities don't double up, leaving your second Ancient mostly as a Treelord with a much lower damage output (however, you do get the additional spell plus the choice of which Ancient to use for its abilities).
Being forced to take in pairs is a good as the stomp becomes much more reliable (from 50% to 75%), with the chance you can stomp a second enemy.
For the most use out of this you want two pairs of Ancient+Vanilla, but that uses up almost half your points and all your behemoths slots in a 2000pt game. Two Ancients and one Vanilla is easier to build around, but that magnifies the Ancient tax and neuters the battalion ability.
For pure damage output and survivability, Dreadwooding a large block of Kurnoth's is mathematically the better choice. However, two pairs of stomping Trees are much more flexible.
In addition, taking LOTC enables you to take a mixed battleline (say, one each of Spites, TreeRevs and Dryads) instead of the usual block of Outcasts or Forest Folk - or take both if you really want the artefacts/CPs.

''2019 Differences: Old ability was only for one name Treelord, was a wider range, but less reliable.''

===Outcasts===

'''''Three units of Spite-Revenants''''' ''100pts (280pts min -> 700pts max)''

Any enemy unit that fails battleshock within (not wholly within!) 3" loses an additional D3 models.

Remember that Spites lower enemy bravery too.
If you want the cheapest possible battleline plus battalion, then this is the choice to take, for just 280pts total - just don't expect them to last long.

''2019 Differences: This used to be a damage pulse based on enemy bravery.''

===Wargrove===

'''''One Lords of the Clan, three Households, three Forest Folks, one Free Spirits and one Outcasts.''''' ''80pts (5,240pts min -> 11,010pts max)''

Our only remaining super battalion. Allows you to place '''two''' Wyldwoods at the start of the game instead of one. Still, way too big to use unless you're playing 6000 point games.

''2019 Differences: Unchanged from the old battletome.''

==Army Building==

===1000 pts===

Two SC boxes and a box of Revenants get you a solid core. Convert one of the <del>useless</del> Branchwyches into a Branchwraith by stealing her scythe and pet. You will want more Dryads if you do this so the Wraith actually gets to do her job.

* Grove: Winterleaf
* Treelord Ancient (General, Grove artefact, Regrowth)
* Branchwraith (Throne of Vines)
* Branchwych (The Dwellers Below)
* 30 Dryads
* 5 Spite-Revenants
* Treelord

Total: 990 pts

You can also replace the Treelord with a unit of Kurnoth Hunters (give them the Greatswords).

To upgrade from that, get a bag of newly-undercosted Spite Revenants and a guaranteed second Wood:

* Grove: Winterleaf or Dreadwood
* Treelord Ancient (General, Grove artefact, Regrowth)
* Drycha Hamadreth (Deadly Harvest or The Dwellers Below)
* Branchwraith (Throne of Vines)
* 20 Spite-Revenants
* 5 Tree-Revenants
* Soulsnare Shackles

Total: 1000 pts

If you got the Looncurse set (or if you prefer), you can also do this:

* Grove: Winterleaf
* Treelord Ancient (Grove artefact, Regrowth)
* Arch-Revenant (General)
* Branchwraith (Throne of Vines)
* 5 Spite-Revenants
* 5 Spite-Revenants
* 6 Kurnoth Hunters (Greatswords)

The Arch-Revenant can stay safe and buff the Hunters with her Command Ability thanks to Envoys of the Everqueen.

Alternatively, you can be a dick and bring a god to the table:

* Grove: Winterleaf or Dreadwood
* Alarielle (Regrowth)
* Branchwraith (General, Grove artefact, Throne of Vines)
* 20 Spite-Revenants
* 5 Spite-Revenants

Total: 1000 pts

Can cut most of the Spite-Revenants for... something? Allied 3 Ishlaen guard? A Knight-Incantor? Open for suggestions, but if you do that, consider going groveless.

===2000 pts===

====Winterleaf starter List====
Two Wraiths (+spell reliability), Drycha (+regrowth), Hive, and blobs of Kurnoths with Arch Rev are a solid base for ''any'' list.
Winterleaf is a good pick as being very strong and the easiest-to-play grove.

If you played Sylvaneth before the recent changes, chances are you have a <del>forest</del> fair number of Dryads, Forest Folk puts them to good use:
* Grove: Winterleaf
* Battalion: Forest Folk
* Arch-Revenant (General, grove artefact)
* Drycha Hamadreth (Regrowth)
* Branchwraith (Spiritsong Stave, Throne of Vines)
* Branchwraith (Verdurous Harmony)
* 30 Dryads
* 20 Dryads
* 10 Dryads
* 9 Kurnoth Hunters (Scythes)
* Spiteswarm Hive
*''Total: 1990 pts''

If you prefer less battleline (you'll most likely be getting +30-40 Dryads per game), then Outcasts gets you the cheapest battleline plus artefact. Simply swap Dryads and Forest Folk for:
* Battalion: Outcasts
* 5 Spite Revenants
* 5 Spite Revenants
* 5 Spite Revenants

This now leaves you with 440 points to play with. Possibilities include:
*6 Kurnoths and Skullroot spell?
*Durthu and 10 Dryads? And maybe switch to Harvestboon.
*3 Kurnoths, 5 Tree Revenants, +5 Spite Revenants to an existing block, and 10 Dryads?

====Dreadwood Teleportation====
Dreadwood lets you dodge a lot of mobility concerns that can occur with the new terrain rules - combined with up to +5 to charges and Envoys of the Everqueen, Kurnoth can deliver a punch wherever you want it.

* Grove: Dreadwood
* Battalion: Outcasts
* Arch-Revenant (General, grove artefact)
* Branchwraith (Throne of Vines)
* Branchwraith (Verdurous Harmony)
* 30 Dryads
* 5 Spite-Revenants
* 5 Spite-Revenants
* 5 Spite-Revenants
* 9 Kurnoth Hunters (Scythes)
* 6 Kurnoth Hunters (Swords)
* Chronomatic Cogs
* Spiteswarm Hive
* Extra Command Point

Total: 1990 pts

====Gnarlroot Core====
Gnarlroot provides reliable casting and healing with re-rolling 1's across your entire army if they stay within range (12") of your casters, this provides a flexible core for most match ups. The below is an elite list, short on bodies but this is supported by dryad summoning. With four wizards you should be attempting Verdant Blessing each turn.

* Grove: Gnarlroot
* Battalion: Outcasts
* Treelord Ancient (General, Nurtured by Magic, Chalice of Nectar, Verdurous Harmony)
* Drycha Hamadreth (Regrowth)
* Branchwraith (Spiritsong Stave, Throne of Vines)
* Branchwraith (Regrowth)
* 5 Spite-Revenants
* 5 Spite-Revenants
* 5 Spite-Revenants
* 5 Tree-Revenants
* 5 Tree-Revenants
* 6 Kurnoth Hunters (Scythes)
* 6 Kurnoth Hunters (Swords)
* Spiteswarm Hive

Total: 1970 pts

==Allied Armies==

The problem with allies, is that they do not get the {{AOSKeyword|SYLVANETH}}-Keyword. Our Forests can and will turn on our allies if they get too close. This massively reduces their mobility, weakens our board control and potentially makes us lose our models without the enemy having to do anything.

*'''[[Age of Sigmar/Tactics/Order/Stormcast Eternals|Stormcast Eternals]]:''' You don't particularly need stormcast. Their play style is too different from traditional Sylvaneth play and overall they don't synergise too well. Perhaps with the upcoming Stormcast Sacrosanct chamber, something might be available to use well with Sylvaneth, but as of now don't bother. Stormcasts are just too slow to keep up with us and allies can't make up for this with Deep Strikes. Prosecutors might be a better option than the infantry on foot, but the would-be woefully under supported, due to the lack of Stormcast Heroes. Additionally, they have worse shooting than our (costlier) options and again, do not benefit from Stormcast specific abilities or commands.

*'''[[Age of Sigmar/Tactics/Order/Wanderers|Wanderers]]:''' Okayish, and fluffy which is important, however as previously mentioned above, you only have 200/400pts to spare, which simply isn't enough to gain any meaningful army support from the Wanderers - ''although with the recent warscroll and point changes in the Cities of Sigmar release, maybe there is something to look at here.'' Wanderers suffer from much the same problems as Stormcast. Everything they can do, we can do better, with everything they need, we can't provide. 200-400 points are not all that much and spending these on a Unit of Glade Guard and a Hero gives us, again, worse shooting and we can only heal and not revive Models. This basically means that the many single-wound models are nearly worthless fodder. Sisters of any variation are simply too expensive to be a viable choice for us and don't benefit us. Wasted points, that we could use better for Hunters.

*'''[[Age of Sigmar/Tactics/Order/Idoneth Deepkin|Idoneth Deepkin]]:''' The fish guys have lots of cross-unit synergies, which are of no use here. Consider the Akhelian Guards (Ishlaen and Morrsarr). Compared to the Kurnoths, they are faster at 14' and can fly (but can't use wyldwood teleporting and need to stay way from them too), they pack more punch (but are much more fragile) and they are cheaper too.
**Alternately, consider running a Deepkin army with the "Alliance of Wood and Sea" Battalion, giving you all the benefits of the Deepkin tides at the cost of having only one forest (for better and worse) via the Treelord Ancient's Silent Communion ability.

*'''Bundo Whalebiter''': A Kraken-eater Mega-Gargant mercenary available to all Order factions. Taking him uses up your entire ally points allowance and he ignores any Behemoth or Hero limitations. A big terrifying centerpiece who can kick objectives around and instantly kill models by shoving them into his net. You can choose at the start of the Combat phase for him to fight at the end of the phase, in exchange for re-rolling failed hit rolls.

*'''[[Age of Sigmar/Tactics/Order/Dispossessed|Dispossessed]]:''' (Only if general is {{AOSKeyword|IRONBARK}})

*'''[[Age of Sigmar/Tactics/Order/Fyreslayers|Fyreslayers]]:''' (Only if general is {{AOSKeyword|IRONBARK}}): Surprisingly useful alliance despite not being common in the lore. The Fyreslayers bring a lot of Mortal Wounds to the table, especially if a Runefather or Runeson on Magmadroth is chosen. With Hearthguard Berserkers, bring a Fyerslayer hero along with them and they can eat Mortal Wounds for you, being able to resist them on a 4+.

==Buying Guide==

Sylvaneth is mixed in terms of unit price values. Some can be cheap, others horrendously expensive, but that's GW. A cliché recommendation would be the start collecting box. Sadly the Branchwych is of less use than she used to be.

Note that due to models coming from WFB, a box of Dryads has 16 models, so to get full use of them, you'll want two boxes giving you 3 dryad units plus 2 spare. Make these up as 3 Dryad Nymphs and 29 normal Dryads to give you full WYSIWYG flexibility of unit sizes. 5 boxes gets you a full usage with 80, which is probably enough unless you go full Dryad spam.

{{Age_of_Sigmar_Tactics}}

Age of Sigmar/Tactics/Death/Nighthaunt

2020-10-26T12:49:38Z

2406:3400:20F:FFC0:1C9F:B1D1:F985:39CC: /* Endless Spells */ Thank you very much (not!) GW for nerfing Petrifex Elite.

{{Age of Sigmar Faction|Faction=Nighthaunt|Logo=LadyOlynderMortarch.png|Alliance=Death|Motto=Wooo!! I'm a ghosty!}}

Get ready to have [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSaqSVi--Ms Grim Grinning Ghosts] playing on a loop because the ghosts of the Mortal Realms have come out to socialize!

==Why play Nighthaunt?==

'''Pros'''
*Army wide Ethereal rule means enemy rend has no effect at all on your save rolls.
*Army wide ignore wounds and mortal wounds on a 6.
*Army wide fly means you pay no heed to the idea of "Battle lines", just go above your enemy and hit them where it hurts.
*Strong leadership and small army size means routing is never an issue
*Dish out mortal wounds like it's nobody's business.
*GW support, with some of the best models released recently.
*You have one of the best mobility in the game. With deep strike, teleportation, and that all of your units fly. You can run around your enemy(or crash into them like a screaming banshee train) with ease! and you're not all that fragile too.
*12 hero options to choose from. Spoilt for choice.
*Your main motivation is hatred of Sigmarines.
*Our army-specific Endless spells have cool models.
*Stupidly easy to paint. Just prime them white and apply some pale shades of greens or blues to give them a spooky appearance.

'''Cons'''
*Despite perfectly fitting the aesthetic, Mortis Engines aren't Nighthaunt units.
*Our army-specific Endless Spells suck crunch-wise, either being overcosted for what they do or too unreliable.
*Like a lot of Death armies, your heroes are the chain that binds the army together. If they get killed you might as well go back to the grave.
*12 hero options to choose from. Whaimmagonnadoo?
*Not all those 12 options are all that superb either
*Pray to Nagash for those 10's on the charge, because you're going to need them.
*Eats Mortal Wounds like a chump; you're going to need that 6+ FNP, since that's almost all you get.
*Depending on your opinion of mono-pose models, you will either love or hate the Nighthaunt range.
* They are very bad to transport. Many Nighthaunt models are made with a single small connecting point to the base along with parts that stick out like small bits and weapons. Take a leaf from Sylvaneth (hehe) when it comes to transporting your army anywhere, lest you snap your precious models and doom yourself with trying to superglue a 2mm surface together.
*Ethereal is a HEAVY point tax. You'll feel that all your models are 10-30% more expensive point wise than they would be due to not being affected by Rend. And in some match ups, Ethereal means very little.

==Rulebooks==
The ''Nighthaunt Battletome'' has all the Warscrolls, Battations and Allegiance Abilities.
*This should be supplemented with the Nighthaunt ''Errata'' and ''Designers' Commentary'' from the [https://www.warhammer-community.com/faqs/ FAQs].
*Matched play points are in ''General's Handbook 2019''.
*Alternatively up to date warscrolls can be found in the ''WH AoS'' app. Warscrolls on the GW webstore match those in the Battletome.

As with all factions you'll want:
*The core rules are either [https://www.games-workshop.com/en-GB/Warhammer-Age-of-Sigmar-Rules downloadable] or in the ''Core Book''.
*Games taking place in a Realm need the Realm of Battle rules from the ''Core Book''.
*In you want to take advantage of realm specific artefacts you'll need the Artefacts Of The Realms section from the ''Malign Sorcery'' book.
*Matched play battleplans are split across the ''Core Book'' and ''General's Handbook 2019''.
*''All'' books should be supplemented with any updates from the [https://www.warhammer-community.com/faqs/ FAQs].

==Rulebooks==
{{AOSRulebooks|tome=Nighthaunt |points=[https://www.warhammer-community.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/e2513c4c.pdf Nighthaunt Errata]}}

==Allegiance Abilities==
===Battle Traits===
*'''Aura of Dread:''' -1 Bravery to enemy units within 6" of yours. Decent, but nothing special.... until you read below.
*'''Deathless Spirits:''' Each time a '''NIGHTHAUNT''' unit takes a wound/mortal wound, if that unit is wholly within 12" of your general or any other '''NIGHTHAUNT HERO''' it can ignore the wound on a dice result of 6. Given how fragile a lot of your units are, this is a godsend.
*'''Feed on Terror:''' If an enemy unit fails a battleshock test, a '''NIGHTHAUNT HERO''' within 6" heals 1 wound. Adds a bit of sustainability considering how you desperately need to keep your heroes... unlive?
*'''From the Underworld They Come:''' For each unit you set-up on the battlefield you can keep them in reserve. Then you can deep-strike them with all of the normal limitations (9" range, can't move yadda yadda). No need to roll a dice now!
*'''Wave of Terror:''' When a '''NIGHTHAUNT''' unit makes an unmodified charge roll of 10+. The charging unit can immediately fight, and can still fight again in the following combat phase.This is fucking illegal and incredibly powerful.
*'''Spectral Summons:''' A Command Ability for your general. At the start of your movement phase pick a friendly '''NIGHTHAUNT''' unit on the battlefield, then teleport it to your general. Entirely within 12" of your general and 9" from any enemy unit. Great to pull a unit away that's been charged by something that's about to wreck them or to charge with something pulled from the backline or to support a unit with another HERO or... you get the idea.

===Command Traits===
*'''Hatred of the Living:''' Your general can re-roll all hits unless the target has the DEATH key word.
*'''Terrifying Entity:''' At the start of the enemy movement phase, roll a d6 for each enemy unit within 3" than your general. If the result is equal to or greater than their bravery characteristic, that unit must retreat. Combos with your -1 bravery aura from Aura of Dread. Amazing against mob armies with low base bravery. Get them to retreat and then charge them again for the chance of that tasty, tasty 10+ charge.
*'''Lingering Spirit:''' The general gets +1 wound. Absolute trash unless for some reason you're using one of the more subpar heroes.
*'''Spiteful Spirit:''' If an enemy unit inflicts a wound on your general in melee combat, roll a d6. If you roll a 5+, enemy unit takes a mortal wound after all attacks have been made. Good on a Knight of Shrouds.
*'''Cloaked in Shadow:''' Gives -1 to hit for ranged attacks vs. the General. It's worth noting that with Look Out, Sir! it becomes -2.
*'''Ruler of the Spirit Hosts:''' At start of hero phase, return d3 models to a friendly '''SUMMONABLE NIGHTHAUNT''' unit within 9" of the general. Use on Hexwraiths or Spirit Hosts for maximum wound-return efficiency.

===Weapons of the Damned===
All Artefacts in this list requires you to pick one of the bearers melee weapons

*'''Shadow's Edge:''' An unmodified hit roll of 6 using that weapon deals d3 mortal wounds and the attack sequence ends. Basically gives a '''HERO''' an improved Frightful Touch, note that this does stack if they already have that rule. Kind of wasted on weapons with a damage stat higher than 1, but funny on a Cairn Wraith who can smack down 2+d3 MW each time he get's a 6.
*'''Reaper of Sorrows:''' Before attacking, roll 2D6. If the rolls exceed the target units Bravery then the Rend characteristic of this weapon is changed to -3. Since there is very little overlap between "units with low Bravery" and "units against which -3 Rend isn't wasted", better skip this one.
*'''Balefire Blade:''' Add 1 to the weapon's damage characteristic. Not bad on a Knight of Shrouds on mount, since it give's him a nice flat 3 Damage. If your taking the Nighthaunt battalion which gives him an extra attack, consider it.
*'''Slitter:''' Every time the bearer is chosen to fight, but before piling in you can roll a dice against a model within 1". If the roll exceeds their wound characteristic, it is slain. Meaning you can pick the model you want to be removed from the unit, not your opponent. This can lead to some very interesting situations, considering the new rules for cohesion...
*'''Headsman's Judgement:''' Add 1 to the hit roll and wound roll. Just in case you'd like your Executioner to be able to pull his weight. Or stop pretending and give it to a Knight of Shrouds.
*'''Shrieking Blade:''' Subtract 1 from hit rolls made with melee weapons against the bearer.

===Relics of the Underworld===
*'''Cloak of the Waxing Moon:''' In melee, the owner's Deathless Spirits save works on a 5+ (normal wounds only).
*'''Pendant of the Fell Wind:''' Add +3" to the movement of any Nighthaunt units wholly within 12" of this character at the start of their phase. Perfect when the 6" Move of Spirit Hosts and Chainrasps aren't doing it for you, or combine with Chronomantic Cogs for Grimghast Reapers who move 13" and then charge 2d6+2".
*'''Dreadbolt Ring:''' If this model inflicts one or more wounds in the combat phase, then inflict d3 mortal wounds on an enemy unit within 3" after this model has finished attacking.
*'''Mirror of Screaming Souls:''' At the start of your shooting phase, roll 2D6 for each enemy unit within 8" of the bearer. If you roll above bravery, 1 mortal wound. Decent on a banshee or durable beatstick.
*'''Midnight Tome:''' The model becomes a Wizard and can cast/unbind once per phase and knows the two basic spells. If the model is already a wizard, it can cast one more spell.
*'''Covetous Familiar:''' At the start of each combat phase, roll a dice for every enemy unit within 3". On a 2+ they take a mortal wound. Better than the Dreadbolt Ring if you wanna get surrounded by multiple units, plus it goes off before anyone attacks.

===Infernal Lanterns===
Guardian of Souls with Nightmare Lantern only.
*'''Lightshard of the Harvest Moon:''' Once per battle, at the start of the combat phase, every '''NIGHTHAUNT''' unit wholly within 12" of the bearer rerolls all to hit when they attack in the combat phase.
*'''Wychlight Lantern:''' Add 1 to the bearer's casting roll.
*'''Beacon of Nagashizzar:''' Add +3 to the heal or resurrect roll when the bearer casts Spectral Lure.

===Notable Artifacts of the Realms===
Blade of Secrets- perfect for a dreadblade harrow unit that can teleport next to a caster and stop a specific spell that is causing your army grief for the rest of the game.

===Lore of the Underworld===
Like several armies you get a set of spells available to any '''NIGHTHAUNT WIZARDS'''.

*'''Soul Cage:''' Casting Value 6. If successfully cast pick an enemy unit within 12” of the caster that is visible to it. Until the start of your next hero phase, that unit cannot attack in the combat phase until all other eligible units have done so. In addition, the unit cannot retreat. ''A very nice way to deal with deathstars by using this and charging multiple units at it.''
*'''Spirit Drain:''' Casting Value 4. If successfully cast pick an enemy model within 18” of the caster that is visible to it. Roll number of dice equal to the wounds characteristic of the model. For each roll of a 6+ the model suffers 1 mortal wound. ''A Monster killer if there ever was one. Remember it's the Characteristic, so you can use this on a big beastie on it's last leg(s) to finish it off.''
*'''Lifestealer:''' Casting Value 7. If successfully cast pick an enemy unit within 12” of the caster that is visible to it. The unit suffers D3 mortal wounds. For every mortal wound inflicted in this manner, the caster heals 1 wound. ''This works great with Reikenor the Grimhailer. Snuff out your own corpse candle and cast this powerfully spell on a natural 4, and have a guaranteed wound to heal!''
*'''Reaping Scythe:''' Casting Value 4. If successfully cast pick one of this models melee weapons. You may reroll all failed to-hit and to-wound rolls made for that weapon until the start of your next hero phase.''Great on any kind of '''HERO''' that you turned into a wizard since most of them are beatsticks.''
*'''Shade Mist:''' Casting Value 6. If successfully cast pick a Nighthaunt unit within 12” of the caster. Until the start of your next hero phase, subtract 1 from all wound rolls made for attacks targeting this unit. ''Revel in your unrendable, resurrecting, -1 To Wound Chainrasp as your opponent tries to desperately get them off that objective. Stack with Lady O's unique spell on the attacking enemy unit for extra tears from your opponent.''
*'''Spectral Tether:''' Casting Value 6. If successfully cast pick a friendly '''NIGHTHAUNT HERO''' unit within 12”. That unit immediately heals D3 wounds.

===Endless Spells===
New to Second Edition, you're the other first to gain Faction Exclusive Endless Spells! These can only be cast by '''NIGHTHAUNT WIZARDS''' or '''NAGASH, SUPREME LORD OF THE UNDEAD'''. However, these are honestly pretty crap if used with Nighthaunt.

* '''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/Downloads//ENG_NightHaunt_Shyish_Reaper.pdf Shyish Reaper]:''' The Shyish Reaper has a move of 8", and damages units by flying over models. The issue is that with its base being nearly 3", it can effectively only move 5", although this can be slightly extended due to it pivoting before it moves. It is more likely to deal damage to stuff with better save characteristics. Think for a moment - what armies around like to field lots of models with a 4+ save or better? Unfortunately, the top of the list is Nighthaunt. This spell is more likely to damage your own units than the enemy, most of the time. Pass.

* '''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/Downloads//ENG_NightHaunt_Vault_of_Souls.pdf Vault of Souls]:''' It's a floating bomb that deals Mortal Wounds, and it explodes into D6 Mortal Wounds when it dispenses 20 of them. With how hard Predatory Endless Spells are to predict, this thing is too likely to turn and explode next to you at a critical moment. It may be worth considering, however, due to how cheap this bastard is, and how good our mobility is. Dropping it off as a parting gift from a deep striking Wizard can be delightfully good as they get snagged by Spectral Summons.

* '''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/Downloads//ENG_NightHaunt_Mortalis_Terminexus.pdf Mortalis Terminexus]:''' It's a big floating Hourglass that either deal D3 Mortal Wounds to everything within 6" or heal D3 Wounds to everything within 6". It does not return dead models. In an army that already has great regeneration, mediocre regeneration that can't restore dead models is not worth taking. Avoid it. The model is cool, though, so use it as a proxy for the Chronomantic Cogs.

Some of the generic Endless Spells are also worth considering.

* '''Suffocating Gravetide:''' Now, let's not kid ourselves. The Suffocating Gravetide isn't strictly GOOD, but what it is is cheap. At 20 points, it's worth tossing in if you have a few points to spare once you've built your list, since they won't do anything for you otherwise. The Gravetide deals D3 mortal wounds to each unit it even slightly passes over, and inflicts a -1 leadership penalty on them, which can synergize with the -1 from Nighthaunt. The Gravetide is also on a pretty big base - it can be useful to plop it right in the way of an enemy unit and block them from getting that critical objective. The fact that the Gravetide provides cover is almost irrelevant to you - units with Ethereal can't benefit from cover, and you'll rarely care anyway.
** It also looks good next to your Nighthaunt, with the same design aesthetic.
* '''Chronomantic Cogs:''' Oh here we go. For a quick refresher, you need to have a WIZARD within 9" of the Cogs to activate them, and when you do you choose one ability to last until your next hero phase. If you slow down time, the controlling wizard can cast one additional spell in your hero phase and re-roll save rolls. If you speed up time, you add 2 to the move characteristic of and charge rolls for ''every unit on the board''. While this doesn't sync with your allegiance ability(the rule specifies unmodified 10+), you still really want to get your charges off, and a +2 is huge, especially if you're going for risky charges from out of reserves.
* '''Aethervoid Pendulum:''' Good for a 50 point spend when you don't feel like the Gravetide but don't have the 50 spare for a command point. The Aethervoid Pendulum avoids the main problem of predatory endless spells by always moving in one direction, which means it's telegraphed, but also means it will never turn against you just because you get a double turn. It deals D6 mortal wounds to anything it flies over or lands 1" from - send it towards the enemy, ideally at an allegiance terrain piece or objective they can't afford to step away from. Even if it doesn't do damage, it crimps your opponent's options, and that's always good.

==Warscrolls==
The common keywords of these warscrolls are: '''DEATH''', '''MALIGNANT''' and '''NIGHTHAUNT'''.

===Leaders===
====Named Characters====
*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/Downloads//ENG_Lady_Olynder.pdf Lady Olynder, Mortarch of Grief]:''' (200pts) First new Mortarch since the End Times. She is all about dealing mortal wounds on the enemy in multiple ways: is surrounded by banshees that deal 6 Spirit Host attacks in melee, once per battle can either heal D6 wounds on herself or deal D6 Mortal wounds on an enemy hero within 6", in every hero phase picks an enemy unit within 12" and inflicting mortal wounds on it on a 2+ roll (the wounds are equal to the roll result) and then heals D3 wounds on herself if she managed to kill at least a model, in shooting phase rolls 2D6 for each enemy unit within 10" and deals them D3 mortal wounds if the result is higher than their bravery, and also adds an extra fleeing model to every enemy unit failing battleshock tests within 12". Her exclusive spell takes an enemy unit and gives it -1 to their hit rolls and +1 to the hit rolls made against it in melee, and her command ability restores a dead model in every SUMMONABLE Nighthaunt unit within 12" - but only if she's your general. If you're looking for a support general it's a toss up between this and a generic general with Ruler of the Spirit Hosts - RotSH can heal multiple models from one unit rather than one per unit, but importantly doesn't use a command point. Olynder isn't really a support unit like her model suggests; she's an assassin that you drop in to your enemies backside or deathstar and wreak havoc upon them with mortal wounds, your other units have better damage-to-point ratio but since her's is almost entirely with mortal wounds you bypass a lot of those 3+/2+ saves with rerolls fuckers that you have a hard time with.
** Be careful using this gal. 7 wounds with a 4+ save and an ignore wounds on a 6 is ''not'' that durable, and the fact that she needs to be fairly close to the fighting just makes her more vulnerable.
**, Unlike the other Mortarchs, Olynder isn't a monster and does benefit from the Look Out Sir, which coupled with her unrendable save increases her survivability. She's right in the middle of Mortarch durability behind Katakros (with his combined 20 wounds, superior save and the option to auto-heal 3 wounds on himself a turn) and Neferata (who has superior CC healing to Arkhan and Mannfred, her immune to rend spell and her 1- hit debuff aura).
**<ASSEMBLY TIP> Gaps ahoy! There is a bulb that helps you to align the 3 pieces that make up her veil and headpiece. Snip that bulb off so you can still get rid of gaps whilst keeping her entire veil as a subassembly for easier painting. Her entire assembly is also resting on one single damned stalk of her gown. Find a way to stabilize her if you don't want to be the one grieving.
**A more viable strategy involving the pale lady now exists via the new Battalion from the White Dwarf. Taking her as your general can help keep her alive thanks to the body guard battalion, which lets her stand around on the field and fight without getting wasted instantly. Plus, her command ability lets you regenerate those Hexwraith body guards, and her spell helps with their subpar accuracy.

*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/Downloads//ENG_Kurdoss_Valentian.pdf Kurdoss Valentian, The Craven King]:''' (180pts) The General Killer. Usurper. Nagash' Monument to Dickishness. A flying beatstick with a very good but unreliable debuff. He has 6 Spirit Host attacks like his wife, his other weapon in melee is the Sepulchral Sceptre, a weapon with 5 attacks on a 3+/3+ roll with -2 rend, each dealing D3 wounds (D6 if you rolled a 6 to wound) and rerolls failed hit rolls against the enemy general. Also, in each enemy hero phase, when they get their command point you can steal it on a 5+ roll, which can take away some armies command abilities. There's really not much else to say about him, fly him into your enemies behind and wreck face.
** When Kurdoss was first resurrected he said "Kurdoss does not serve!", "But neither does he rule!" said the two Servants beside him and they laughed!
** Unfortunately as neat as he is at being a combat character, he does little to nothing for the army outside of CP stealing. Thus he tends to be overshadowed by nearly all the other leaders with the lack of synergy buffs. Plus 7 wounds, even with ethereal, isn't exactly too tough.

*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/Downloads//ENG_Reikenor_the_Grimhailer.pdf Reikenor the Grimhailer]:''' (170pts) Both a warrior and a wizard. Gets a souped-up version of the scythes we saw on Cairn Wraiths, Hex-wraiths and Grimghast reapers, getting the usual reroll on bigger units plus dealing mortal wounds instead of regular one on a hit roll of 6. His spell deals D3 mortal wounds on an enemy unit within 12", plus D3 more if the first ones killed something. When casting, can either deal 1 mortal wound to an enemy within 12" or himself, getting respectively +1 or +3 to the cast roll. Consider using this guy to cast your Endless Spell, just in case your opponent wants to dispel it.
** As this ability targets a specific model in a unit, you can use it to split coherency and open the way to clearing multiple models off the table if you are feeling evil. Use with cogs, do this twice, earn the undying hatred of your opponent.

*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/Downloads//aos_warscroll_thorns_of_the_briar_queen_en.pdf The Briar Queen]:''' (180pts) Must include her Thorns of the Briar Queen. The first Mirrorghast Banshee, she's a wizard with 3 ranged attacks with -3 rend, hitting and wounding on 3s... sadly, only doing 1 damage each, breaking the numerical focus. Her melee attack hits at 3", hitting and wounding on 3 as well, -2 rend, doing D3 wounds. Her unique spell hits all enemies 6" of a point 18" away from her; if the roll is either greater than the target's Move value, or a double, it suffers a mortal wound and has halved movement until her next hero phase.

====Others====
*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/Downloads//ENG%20Knight%20of%20Shrouds.pdf Knight of Shrouds]:''' (100pts) Our first genuine commander model. Blessed with the same defenses as a Cairn Wraith but with an additional wound, he's pretty tough. With basically a Vampire Lord's melee profile (Damage 2 instead of D3) he's not a pushover. His Command grants Nighthaunt units WHOLLY within 12" +1 To Hit, meaning he can hit on a 2+ himself and can counteract those pesky To-Hit penalties. In a Nighthaunt army with some allies, he's absolutely fantastic. He's tough as nails and regenerates if you kill an enemy '''HERO'''. It also adds a bonus to Dreadblade Harrow as per the dreadblade warscroll.
**With the release of the new book following AoS 2, this guy has had some ups, but mostly some downs. With Spirit Hosts and Hexwraiths getting MWs only on unmodified sixes, and the rampant nerfing of the Mournghoul, this guy isn't cranking out the MWs like he used to. Plus, with the new book, there's not a lot of units that necessarily need that bonus, or can actually fit with his 12" aura, thanks to the accursed Wholly Within change. Plus, he's only got 5 wounds on a 4+, and his movement is rather pitiful. He may not be the worst hero, but outside of maybe buffing some smaller units, stick to the KoS on mount.

*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/Downloads//ENG_knight_of_shrouds_knighthaunt_2018.pdf Knight of Shrouds on Ethereal Steed]:''' (120pts) Mounted variant of the guy above. Similar stats, with double the movement and, weirdly, only one extra wound (In contrast to the Grimhailer and other mounted heroes who have 2 more wounds than regular) plus the extra attacks from the spooky horse, and his command ability gives +1 attacks at a Nighthaunt unit wholly within 18" instead. Actually a better general for your Spirit Hosts now that they deal mortal wounds on an unmodifiable 6. It also adds a bonus to Dreadblade harrow as per their warscroll. Also, when comparing him to a Vampire Lord, keep in mind that while a Vampire Lord's ability does last till the end of your next Hero phase, it cannot in any way affect units coming in from deep strike; luckily, since the KoSoES's command ability occurs in the combat phase, he is the perfect front-lines commander to help buff a unit that's coming from the underworld.
*Keep in mind, with the right buffs, the KoS can also be surprisingly killy too. Giving him a decent weapon artifact, and taking him in the right battalion can make him a decent beat-stick, perfect for warmachine or hero hunting.

*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/Downloads//ENG_Guardian_of_Souls_Nighthaunt_2018.pdf Guardian of Souls with Nightmare Lantern]:''' (140pts) First real wizard for the army. His exclusive spell restores d6 wounds to a SUMMONABLE unit within 18" '''or''' resurrects models with a combined wound count equal to the d6 roll, while he also makes every Nighthaunt within 9" add 1 to their wound rolls, which is phenomenal for most units and inconsequential to Spirit Hosts.
**Suffers from the "I'm so good at supporting the army that everyone guns for me" syndrome. Many NH players find their guardians dying real fast when people figure out they're the key to victory! Be sure to surround them with bodies and even then aren't protected from Mortal Wound sniping. You should consider taking two - the aura stacks, which means if you've got two of them on hand your chainrasps are wounding on 2s, but even more importantly, it lets you spread your Guardians out for redundancy and keep from losing your wound bonus, your heals, AND your magic to a single model.
**One thing to note is an artifact, the Beacon of Nagashizzar, which the Guardian can take. It upgrades the Guardian's unique Spectral Lure spell from restoring d6 wounds to D6+3 - it's a lot more reliable. However, the Wychlight Lantern does help the spell itself more reliably go off. Your choice between more models returning, or returning models reliably.

*'''Guardian of Souls with Mortality Glass:''' Same as above, but instead of buffing wound rolls forces enemy units within 9" to roll a single die when charging. He uses the spell Temporal Translocation which on a 6 allows one unit within 24" of the caster to make a normal move of 6" that can be used to retreat but still allows it to charge later in the turn. Great spell on everything other than Bladegheists and Glaivewrath Stalkers with a Deathbeat Drummer (they already can do this). Sadly the model was event exclusive, so good luck getting a hold of it.
**As of the GH19, this poor sap is no longer a matched play unit, due to him lacking a points profile. Still fun to use in regular play, and who knows, maybe he'll get a release with a new book. But for now, he's strictly narrative only.

*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/Downloads//ENG_Spirit_Torment_Nighthaunt_2018.pdf Spirit Torment]:''' (120pts) The sleeper hit of the Nighthaunt hero lineup. He has a 12" aura that lets friendly Nighthaunt re-roll hit rolls of 1, which can make your force significantly better. He has average defensive stats but packs a surprising punch in melee thanks to his chains being a D3 damage weapon. He also heals units or restores models within 6" provided at least 3 enemy models were slain by the beginning of the Battleshock phase (this checks in both your turn and your opponent's turn, so it's potentially 2d3 models per battle round). The Spirit Torment is a must - put him close to where the fighting is thickest, and you'll rarely go wrong.
**However, do consider what you're actually getting here for 120 points; you get some decent, but conditional, regeneration, and a re-roll 1's aura that you can just pay a command point to get anyways. This guy will be frustratingly useless if you can't kill those 3 models per turn, and is most likely best suited to be paired with a unit of Bladegheists, who get to re-roll ALL hits instead of just 1's. Otherwise, stick him with your Dreadscythes or Chainrasps, as they have the most to gain.

*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/Downloads//ENG_Lord_Executioner_Nighthaunt_2018.pdf Lord Executioner]:''' (80pts) Your generic Hero killer. Gets an average weapon that deals 3 wounds if you roll a 6+ to wound, rejects mortal wounds on a 5+ roll and can give -1 to hit rolls at an enemy hero within 3" in melee. That last ability is the only real reason this would be worth taking, and even then he's probably not worth the points.
*What he does boast, however, is being a tougher hero. That 5+ against MW will save your ghostly ass at times, and that -1 against heros can help mitigate flying bricks like Mawcrushas and Keeper of Secrets from totally smashing you.

*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/Downloads//ENG_dreadblade_harrow.pdf Dreadblade Harrow]:''' (90pts) Mounted lieutenant that can warp on the field instead of moving regularly as long as he's not engaged in melee and a sword that gets different buffs depending on what he does (+1 damage in the turn he charged, +1 attacks in every other turn and can also reroll every 1 to wound if a Knight of Shrouds is within 9" from him). At first, he seems rather pointless aside from flanking long-range artillery or mages. But then you realize that his teleportation trick works at the beginning of the movement phase, much like your deathly summons, and because of this, you pick the order they go off. So say hello to your new Undead Taxi cab.
**Aside from teleportation shenanigans, Dreadblade Harrows are an awkward choice - they don't really offer much damage, they don't have supportability, and they need to buddy up with the Knight of Shrouds to get the most out of them.
**with the expansion of generic command ability. They can reliably deal them out at any time.
** Some conspiracies suggest DBH was supposed to be a unit, not heroes. But some weird book shuffling occurred. After all, it is a little weird to sell 2 heroes in a single EZ to build box

*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/Downloads//ENG%20Cairn%20Wraith.pdf Cairn Wraith]:''' (60pts) The Cairn Wraith was an important forerunner in the aesthetics of the Grimghast Reapers, Reikenor, and lots of other Nighthaunt units. Unfortunately, the fact is that the Nighthaunt update kind of left the Cairn Wraith behind, as it no longer has a niche of its own. But what it still has going for it isn't completely useless; this guy may not be precisely tough or extraordinarily deadly in melee, but what he does bring is a good close combat profile and a incredibly small base; this sucker is on a 25mm round, for some ungodly reason, making it him easy to hide in a horde. Coupled with a 2" range, this guy can sit comfortably in a unit of 20 or so chainrasps, and when they're charged, this guy can help support them via CP abilities while still knocking back some wounds. Plus, while this guy only has 4 wounds, this can often cause an opponent not to throw as much damage at him as they probably need to, or perhaps too much.
** Another neat trick with the Cairn Wraith has to do with his Frightful Touch ability; If you have a spare artifact with no where to go, toss him the Shadows Edge. Now, every time you roll a 6 to hit, this dude is popping off 2+d3 MW. While not exactly reliable, this will suddenly make a Character most people ignore suddenly far scarier.

*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls/aos-warscroll-tomb-banshee-en.pdf Tomb Banshee]:''' (80pts) For all intents and purposes, a Banshee is more or less a Cairn Wraith with much weaker attacks (though at -2 Rend, that's pretty decent) and a scream attack that causes damage off of Bravery. The Tomb Banshee fills an interesting role in the army, capable of being played both offensively defensively. Thanks to the 10' range on her scream, she can deepstrike in and still fire off a scream; while this is less effective against Death and Celestial Seraphon, this is still a great way to throw some wounds at the enemy with a lucky roll. This can also be especially deadly if you roll high against a misplaced Skaven or Goblin hero. Defensively, she is a nice way to add some punch to what may normally be a lack luster combat unit like Chainrasps or Spirit Hosts. Simply placing her behind them, and firing off your scream can chip away even at the mighty Stormcast or Chaos Warriors.
**is a great choice when facing Skaven, Grots, Khorne, Warclans or Cities of Sigmar. And she should be heavily considered if your running bravery reducing endless spells. Her mobility and scream power is not to be ignored.

===Troops===
====Battleline====
*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls/aos-warscroll-nighthaunt-spirithosts-en.pdf Spirit Hosts]:''' ('''SUMMONABLE''', '''Battleline''' only in a '''Nighthaunt''' army, 120pts, Min:3, Max:12). Compared to other swarms, Spirit Hosts have fewer Wounds, but way better attacks and a 4+ unrendable save, which makes them pretty tough against anything but Mortal Wounds. Effectively, they have a rather low damage output, but the vast majority of their damage is in Mortal Wounds, which makes them great, especially against stuff with big saves and high rend. Be'lakor in particular hates these things with a passion. Their Frightful Touch ability got changed to on work on an ''unmodified'' roll of 6, less synergy but you don't get fucked by hit penalties anymore. Your main reason for taking these guys, however, is their ratio of wounds per model, which when paired with some of Nighthaunt's ability to resurrect entire models, becomes a very lucrative way to bring back wounds. However, keep in mind that a unit of 3 Spirit Hosts is only 40 points away from 20 Chainrasps. Unless you're investing in the requisite abilities, Chainrasps have them beat in points per wound. When you use these guys, make sure you're respawning them, as well as using their 4+ effectively. Also, don't forget that you can almost always count on at least 1 MW per Spirit Host base. This may not seem like a lot, but with a WoT charge, you can effectively get 6 guaranteed MW on a unit just from 3 Spirit Hosts.

*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/Downloads//ENG_Chainrasp_Horde_Nighthaunt_2018.pdf Chainrasp Hordes]:''' ('''SUMMONABLE''', '''Battleline''', 80/280pts, Min:10, Max:40) The actual troops for the army, thanks to the new edition. Classic swarmy troops that deal a huge bunch of attacks, also reroll every 1 to wound as long as they're more than 10. Get a bunch of heroes around them to buff their attack stats and enjoy. These guys are your bread and butter horde choice, providing a more numerous battleline. While Grimghasts are deadlier, and Spirit Hosts are both tankier and resurrect wounds more efficiently, Chainrasps have them both beat on cheap bodies. These are the guys you want to stick on objectives and control the board, and while they certainly aren't on the level of Grimghasts, they do have the potential to deal a bit of damage from sheer weight of attacks. 280 points for 40 bodies is a steal, especially with 2 attacks base and a 5+ ethereal. But just make sure that your giving them proper hero support; an unsupported horde of Chainrasps will vanish under a dedicated assault, and bravery 10 only gets you so far in Battleshock. And speaking of Battleshock, your Chainrasps are only Bravery 6 without your Unit Leader AKA Candlabra man. Things that can snipe specific models can make your battleshock test even more painful. A Guardian of Souls is never a bad support choice for these guys, and Shademist is a superb choice if your casting on the first turn. And while the Chainguard battalion is risky, it's hard not to feel satisfied seeing your unrendable horde rematerialize.
**When running these ghosts, your going to want to really pick a role for them and stick with it. 10 Chainrasps serve as a cheap battleline filler, and a decent screen. If you're going for a bit more of an offensive bent to them, using them in 20 with a buffing hero or as part of the Condemned can see them do a bit of damage. 30 is to be avoided, since for 40 more points, you get another 10. But taking 40 can be a real problem as well; It's gonna be tricky as hell to keep them wholly within the range of your buffs unless you bring a KoS on mount or some Chainghasts for your Spirit Torments. But, 40 is good if your really maxing out your regeneration with the Chainguard battalion.

*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/Downloads//ENG_Grimghast_Reapers_Nighthaunt_2018.pdf Grimghast Reapers]:''' ('''SUMMONABLE''', '''Battleline''' only in a '''Nighthaunt''' army, 160/420pts, Min:10, Max:30) Band of scythe guys. A troop with a slightly worse version of the Cairn Wraith's scythe, while the leader gets a bell that deals a mortal wound for each model it killed with regular wounds. This unit is a flying blender, so it's no wonder they're your most expensive Battleline. Hordes beware.
**These guys have gotten into a weird position; in LoN and LoG, they're undeniably the best possible choice for an elite blob of anvils that can also grind through enemy units, and then come right back thanks to healing. However, in Nighthaunt, their worth is much more questionable; point per point, they fall behind units like Bladegheists when it comes to damage dealing when on the charge, and against elite units, Dreadscythes are more powerful thanks to the extra attack and bonus damage while also being slightly cheaper. Another knock against them is the fact that their horde bonus only hits at 30; It is nearly impossible to get 30 Grimghasts wholly within our range. Overall, if you run these guys, use them as a horde killer, and keep them in blocks of 20 for better buffing.

*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/Downloads//ENG_hexwraiths.pdf Hexwraiths]:''' ('''SUMMONABLE''', '''Battleline''' only in a '''Nighthaunt''' army, 140pts, Min:5, Max:20) Kinda average but can still be useful in certain situations. They hit with a bunch of decent attacks, and have a decent chance to damage enemy units they move over the top of by dealing a mortal wound on a roll of 5+ for each Hexwraith that flew over them and are very fast. Do not forget that you cannot end your movement within 3" of the enemy, so think of this ability as 12-3" if you intend to charge the enemy after that. They are also very durable and have a solid if a bit lackluster, weapon profile. These bois are your artillery killers. Fly them right over enemy battle lines and crush enemy archers and the like. You take these guys as a tactical option, rather than as a beat stick.
**One of the few units that can cause damage while retreating, which is done in the movement phase. Flying over a unit or two (don't forget your D6 run while retreating) counts for triggering their special ability.
**If taken in the battalion with the black coach, these guys get an even better chance to strike during the charge phase since they only need an unmodified 9+ charge roll. Another synergy comes with the Black Coach, as it too restores models, not wounds, to a unit. Thus, you can get anywhere from 2 to 6 wounds back per Black Coach.
**In the white dwarf battalion, these guys do become a more viable combat unit, perfect for harrying flanks or hunting down really obnoxious targets like Skyefires or Skaven Warmachine units, while also serving as an awesome bodyguard unit. With a buff from a Knight of Shrouds, you can have each Hexwraith hitting with 4 attacks each with their scythes, and 4 attacks with their horse on the charge; at first, this may not sound like a lot, but in a bigger unit, you can slam an opponent with 80 attacks from just a unit of 10 Hexwraiths. On average, a unit of 5 KoS-buffed Hexwraiths on the charge will do about 4 MW before even factoring in their regular attacks. Not bad for a unit that's also there to take wounds for your boss.

====Others====
*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/Downloads//ENG_NightHaunt_Glaivewraith.pdf Glaivewraith Stalkers]:''' ('''SUMMONABLE''', 60pts, Min:4, Max:16) These guys are Bladegheists, but worse in every way. They do reroll every failed hit roll in the turn they're engaged in combat (either if they're the ones who charged or not), and they also can get a drummer to retreat and charge in the same turn. Take note that at 15 points, 6" move and 1 wound a piece, these guys are slightly cheaper then everyone but Dreadscythes, but are by far worse. With a weapon profile thats the same as Chainrasps, these guys are by no means elite. If you must use them, your best bet is running them at max size as a way to try to get the best use out of WoT with their retreat and charge ability.
**Opinion: Never take them. Period. Grimghast reapers do more damage, Bladegheists are faster and do their retreat and charge stick better, and Dreadscythes are cheaper for a better profile. Not to mention the pokey sticks aren't battleline and move slower for almost the same price per model. As a comparison, for 3 points more per model you can bring bladegheists instead.
**Consider: By simply clipping off the horse face to leave an empty cowl and turning the blade 90 degrees, you can turn these guys into more Grimghast Reapers. Probably a better use of the model.

*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/Downloads//ENG_NightHaunt_Mymourn%20Banshees.pdf Myrmourn Banshees]:''' ('''SUMMONABLE''', 70pts, Min:4, Max:12) Little tykes that can unbind spells and get an extra attack each if they succeed into doing it (But if you do it on an Endless Spell, they also suffer d3 wounds and basically die a lot). Since they each have 1 attack that does D3 damage, you effectively double their damage output any time you unbind a spell. Also, since spells are one of the main ways of dealing Mortal Wounds, and since Mortal Wounds are the only way to reliably kill your spooks, the fact that these ladies can unbind them makes them a must-have for your army. However, with only 4 models and a 4+ save, they're fragile - run them in blocks of 12 with healers or not at all.
**These ladies can kill; that's for certain. The problem is getting them to the right time and place to do so, without having them get killed before they get there. Like said above, they get crazy good with buffs, so make sure to use your deepstrike and Spectral Summons ability to help keep them alive. Another thing to look out for is their 4+ to hit; this sucks ghost balls. Always make sure they're either in Spirit Torment, KoS or any other re-roll or hit modifier range.

*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/Downloads//ENG_Chainghasts.pdf Chaingasts]:''' ('''SUMMONABLE''', 70pts, Min:2, Max:4) Spirit Torment's best friends. If they're within 12" from him, they extend his "everyone within 12" rerolls 1 to hit" ability by also emitting it. In melee, their scourge weapons dishing as many attacks as there are enemy models in the range. One of not very many NH units to get a shooting attack, and a fairly decent one at that.
**Their role is to boost the Spirit Torment's aura across half the table, and they're good at it. Use them for that and plink with their shooting weapons while spreading the re-roll love to your units. (Let it be noted that unless you got the Soulreach Grasp for your Black Coach, it is the ''only'' shooting weapon any of your units get). However, in a pinch, these guys can do quite a bit of work in melee as well; throwing them against 28mm hordes can really let them shine, and in cases like Plague Monks, these guys can soften the blow for units that come after them.

*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/Downloads//ENG_bladegheist_revenants.pdf Bladegheist Revenants]:''' ('''SUMMONABLE''', 90/320pts, Min:5, Max:20) With an 8" move and a very good weapon profile, Bladegheist Revenants are great at first glance. Second glance reveals a bonus attack on the turn they charge and the ability to retreat and charge, meaning they get 3 attacks in essentially all of your combat phases. Then you notice the fact that when they're near a Spirit Torment(or Chainghasts repeating the aura), these guys re-roll ALL their hit rolls instead of just 1s. The only downside Bladegheists have is they'll draw a lot of fire. Run them in blocks of 10 or even 15 to avoid losing the entire unit, and keep a Guardian of Souls on hand to revive dead models and make their swords wound on 2s.

*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/Downloads/ENG_dreadscythe_harridans.pdf Dreadscythe Harridans]:''' ('''SUMMONABLE''', 70/260pts, Min:5, Max:20) They apply -1 to hit against enemy units within 3" of them unless they have a Bravery of 6 or more (remember Nighthaunt Allegiance decrease it by 1, so even units with 6 bravery fall within this range). Decent in melee, with -1 rend and a chance for extra damage, with 3 attacks each. With support from a KoS on Steed or an allied Vampire Lord, their attacks can add up pretty quick.
**With the current GHB 2020, these gals have gone down to 70 points, taking the spot for one of the cheapest damage dealer units in the book. For a mere 260 points for 20, when compared to the Bladegheists and Grimghasts 320, these ghoulies are nearly 60 points cheaper at max size. And what your getting for that 70 points is frankly, awesome. Deeply consider taking these as your cheap damage dealers, or part of the shrieker host battalion, since their bang for their buck is absurdly cost effective.

*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/Downloads//aos_warscroll_thorns_of_the_briar_queen_en.pdf Thorns of the Briar Queen]:''' ('''SUMMONABLE''', 0pts) The Briar Queen's personal squad of six Chainrasps; can't be taken without her. In lieu of numbers, they reroll ones if an enemy unit is within 3" of 2 models of theirs(so almost always). Otherwise, a slightly undermanned Chainrasp Horde. Use them as a road bump, or something to tie up ranged units or warmachines.

===Behemoths===
*'''[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/Downloads//ENG_Black_Coach.pdf Black Coach]:''' (220pts) This thing is not only aesthetically stunning but also a monster in-game: With 12 wounds, 14" movement with fly, and a 4+ ethereal save, it's not going down anytime soon. It has either a single shooting attack with a petty 10" range, but it does do D3 damage and has rend -3 or it's regular Cairn Wraith scythe. However, it is downright terrifying in combat: Not only does it have <s>4</s> 3 melee profiles, but the reaper scythe of the rider can also reroll hits against units with 5+ models (or a single attack with a rend characteristic of -3, D3 damage if you took the ranged profile.) These weapons along with the relic bearers' Spectral Claws(which goes down in attacks as it gets wounded) have the Frightful Touch rule. It's Evocation of Death works like this now: At the start of each battle round roll 3 dice, <s>on a 4+</s> on EACH 4+ it gains one level of power. Each level stacks and lasts for the rest of the battle.
*#'''Level 1''': Heal d3 wounds at the start of your hero phase and return d3 slain models to a '''NIGHTHAUNT''' unit within wholly within 12" of it.
*#'''Level 2''': Re-roll 1's to hit for this model and can run and charge in the same turn
*#'''Level 3''': After charging pick a unit within 1" of it, roll a dice, on a 2+ that unit suffers D3 mortal wounds
*#'''Level 4''': Can retreat and charge in the same turn.
*#'''Level 5''': At the start of your hero phase, roll a dice for each enemy unit within 3" of this model on a 4+ deal D3 mortal wounds.
** While it's a bit of a mixed bag, the mix is all things that you want and your opponent doesn't want on the table. It is almost impossible to ignore thanks to the huge amount of attacks and mortal wound opportunities it has. And it needs a huge amount of firepower to remove so even if it gets taken down early the rest of your army should be in quite good shape still. Also, the synergy this thing offers to Nighhthaunt is pretty excellent; outside of Olynder and RotSH, this baby is your other primary way to bring back multiple models at once, AKA, bringing back Hexwraiths and Spirit Hosts.
** Now, with GHB19, this baby is a cheap as chips 220 points; to put it this way, it offers almost the same amount of damage as a Cairn Wraith and 10 Chainrasps would put out anyways, with plenty of Frightful Touch. The general way to use this bad boy is start it off as a defensive piece, using it to help regenerate your screen of Spirit Hosts or Hexwraiths, and maybe giving a bit of damage through it's scythe. But once you get that second or third level, it's time to let this bad boy fly into the enemy and help finish off lightly wounded units. It's also worth noting that this thing is pretty easy to keep in tip-top shape since most Nighthaunt heroes and spells have ways to heal this bad boy.

{{anchor|FWMourngul}}
*'''[https://www.forgeworld.co.uk/resources/fw_site/fw_pdfs/aos_warscrolls/Downloads-AoS/aos-warscroll-mourngul.pdf Mourngul] (Forgeworld):''' (270pts) As of the new edition a whole bunch of FW big boys have had stat changes. The Mourngul has been changed to be a bit more in line with the rest of the new Nighthaunt. First, his 3+ save is now a 4+ save, which is bad. And second his 6+ to hit that generated extra attacks that became 6+ deal additional damage has been replaced with Frightful touch, dealing 2 mortal wounds on a 6+ to hit, which is good (especially against well armoured heroes). With 8 attacks this is very scary note that it's an unmodified hit roll, so a Knight of Shrouds won't affect it's mortal wound generation. 10 wounds and his -1 to hit aura makes him quite tough in combat, but will melt to shooting. Fact is, the Mourngul was never a real beatstick, more of a distraction Carnifex. He's definitely lost some of that power, but now you have a whole army of synergies to play with, so he might still have a place in your lists.
** If the FW Model is too expensive, simply build two Mournghouls from one Aleguzzler Gargant - and you still have the lower half left to build a zombie gargant.
**The Mourngul is no longer the all-star that he was in GA:Death back in AoS 1.0, but after some serious point drops, he has some viability. The key to using this monster is mostly in picking his fights, and helping support other units already wedged into combat. His -1 to hit aura helps keep other units alive, while throwing down some MW with his claws. He can't finish off whole units anymore on his own, but he can certainly eat through a wave of chaff and draw attacks (and attention) from more important units.

==Battalions==

===Chainguard===
(580pt. min. - 820pt. max)

'''''A Guardian of Souls and two Chainrasp Hordes with 20+ models each'''''

'''The Heart of the Horde:'''The Guardian of Souls can bring back D6 models to one of the units of Chainrasps when he casts Spectral Lure.

When paired with the Beacon of Nagashizzar the Guardian can bring back 2d6+3 models (average 10) every turn on a 6. This is ridiculous, and will force your opponent to spend their limited unbind attempts on it, every turn.
What's that? Your massive damage unit almost thrashed the battleline of Chainrasp Horde? Don't worry about it, they'll all be right back. This is almost mandatory for anyone wanting to attempt the "endless horde" army style in Nighthaunts.
** Keep in mind that his Battalion ENTIRELY relies on being able to get the Guardian of Soul's spell off; and sure, it may be sweet to see that 2d6+3 Chainrasps pop back up, but the second the enemy sees this, their going to start throwing their considerably more powerful anti-magic at us. This makes this entire battalion a gamble, since if you happen to fight army that's good at magic, or has good ways at stopping magic, then congratulations, you just spent a bunch of points on an artefact and a CP.

===The Condemned===
(670pt. min. - 990pt. max)

'''''A Spirit Torment, a unit of Chaingasts and two Chainrasp Hordes with 20+ models each'''''

'''Cruel Taskmasters:''' Re-roll failed hit rolls for attacks made by the Chainrasp Hordes while they are wholly within 15" of the Spirit Torment or Chainghasts. This is an excellent pick, and choosing between this and the above battalion is hard. Extending the aura and making it a full reroll miss effectively makes chainrasp 3+ to hit. Add in guardian of souls buffs and you have 3+/3+ battle line that can get to four attacks each with other effects.
* First and foremost, this is our most expensive Battalion; and it is for a good reason as well. In a similar vein to the Death Riders, ShroudGuard and Chainguard, this is more of an "upgrade" rather then a straight up bonus. But arguably, this is one of the better bonuses we can get, since it gives the Spirit Torment and Chaingheists a formidable buff to their range. Another good thing to note is, that just like the Bladegheist rule, you don't actually need to have the Spirit Torment nearby to get the bonus for the Chainrasps, meaning it's entirely viable to run one block of Rasps with the Spirit Torment and then another block of Rasps with the Chaingheists. Than way, both Blocks get those sweet, sweet re-rolls. If your going to be running offensive Rasps, pass over the Chainguard and look towards these bad boys.

===Death Stalkers===
(580pt. min. - 1380pt. max)

'''''A Cairn Wraith, 2 units of Grimghast Reapers and 2 units of Glaivewraith Stalkers'''''

'''Soul-marked Prey: '''After setup is complete, pick an enemy unit to become 'Soul Marked' by this battalion. Add 1 to hit and wound rolls for attacks made by this battalion against the marked unit. This can be used to get rid of your opponent's power-units, like large groups of chaos warriors or sequitors.
* How do you balance being forced to take a really good unit with a really good buff? By making you take 2 terrible units and a slightly mediocre one. The Glavewraiths are a tax, simple as that, and an expensive one at that. Costing you at the very least 120 points, this effectively doubles the cost of the battalion. Until Glaviewraiths get better or cheaper, this battalion should be avoided at all costs.

===Deathriders===
(830pt. min. - 1890pt. max)

'''''1-2 Dreadblade Harrow, 2 units of Hexwraiths and a Black Coach'''''

'''Spectral Spearhead:'''Add 1 to charge rolls for units in this battalion. In addition, an unmodified charge roll of 9+ allows the unit to fight immediately (replaces allegiance ability). Overall, this is a solid choice, and if you were planning on bringing a Dreadblade, a Black Coach and some Hexwraiths, this should be your go-to. All three units synergize really well, and a Dreadblade is a must for a really fast moving army. The Black Coach works very well with the Hexwraiths, since it can help heal them, and then help finish off the enemy.
* Funny enough, after the discount, it's entirely possible to make a complete 2000 point army by just taking two battalions, and then running four units of 10 Hexwraiths each. Is this a good use of your points, and or money? Probably not, but it could be fun.
* Raises your chances for the charge bonus from 16.7% to 27.8%.

===Execution Horde===
(540pt. min. - 1620pt. max)

'''''One Lord Executioner and 3 units of Spirit Hosts'''''

'''The Headsman's Masses:'''Subtract 1 from the hit rolls of attacks that target this battalion's Lord Executioner while a Spirit Host unit is within 6" of the attacking unit. In addition, add 1 to the hit rolls of attacks made by the Lord Executioner while any Spirit Hosts are within 6" of the target unit. His job will be to tarpit enemy heros or sit around and bring back his spirit host buddies with the Ruler of the Spirit Host command trait.

===Shrieker Host===
(560pt. min. - 1280pt. max)

'''''A Tomb Banshee, 2 units of Dreadscythe Harridans and 2 units of Myrmourn Banshees'''''

'''Mournful Wailing:'''Re-roll battleshock rolls of 1 for enemy units while they are within 6" of any units from this battalion. In addition, Inspiring Presence cannot be used on enemy units within 6" of any units from this battalion.

Really good for the 'Leadership attack' strategy, however given that Seraphon, Daemons and well, DEATH, are popular armies, and have almost exclusively Bravery 10, this will be fairly hit and miss. Even with the maximum -3 to bravery, a bravery 10 model goes to 7, averaging 0 mortal wounds from banshees. This is probably more for someone who wants to run a gimmick list, or know that their local meta is low-bravery armies. In the latter case, it will be "frightening" how fast you lose your friends. heh...

===Shroudguard===
(410pt. min. - 930pt. max)

'''''1 Knight of Shrouds or Reikenor the Grimhailer and 2 units of Bladegheist Revenants'''''

'''Frenzied Fervor:''' Replaces the 6+ ignore wounds from the allegiance ability to a 5+ for the Bladegheist while wholly within 12" of the KoS or Reikenor.

This one has some really neat Synergy with the Ruler of the Spirit Hosts Command Trait. Make the Knight of Shrouds your General and pick this as his Command Trait. Now your Knight of Shrouds has a -1 to hit with Ranged Weapons (thanks to the Bladegheist Revenants blocking him), the Bladegheists can shrug off wounds and mortal wounds on a 5+ (thanks to the Battalion ability) and should a Bladegheist Revenant fall, this Command Trait will instantly let you set up some extra Bodyguards.

===The Forgotten Scions===
(440 pt.)

'''''1 Knight of Shrouds on Ethereal Steed and 2 Dreadblade Harrows'''''

'''Gharest Malcor, the Traitor Knight:''' Add one to the attacks characteristic of the Knight of Shroud's Sword of Stole Hours. In addition, once per battle round, you can use the command ability on his warscroll without a command point being spent.

===The Dolorous Guard===
(400 pt. min. - 2360 pt. max)
'''''2-4 units of Hexwraiths'''''

'''Knights of Regret:''' Add one to the attacks characteristic of melee weapons used by units from this battalion if they charged in the same turn. In addition, if your general is within 3" of any friendly units from the battalion, on a 2+ you can pass on wounds and mortal wounds.

==Super-Battalions==

===Nighthaunt Procession===
(3730pt. min. - 12350pt. max)

'''''1 Shroudguard and 6 Battalions chosen between the others in the Battletome'''''

Do you know Deathless Spirits? That allegiance ability we described above that makes everyone ignore wounds at a 6+? The battalion units replace it with... something a little better? The drawback is that it only works on heros from this battalion, but that hardly matters, since your bound to have 6 seperate heros due to the battalions. What it does give is that it removes the word "Wholly" from our Deathless Minions aura. So we get the (longer range) legion version of it, and makes larger battles a little easier to manage.

===The Emerald Host===
(920 pt. min.)

''''' 1 The Forgotten Scions, 1+ The Dolorous Guard, and any number of The Condemned, Chainguard or Death Stalkers'''''

'''The Emerald Curse:''' After armies are set up, but before the first battle round, you can pick 1 enemy hero. Subtract 1 from save rolls for attacks that target that hero.

Note that the way this ability is worded, you don't need to be part of the battalion to take advantage of this ability, so only take optional sub-battalions if you're trying to get a single drop army.

==Army Building==

===1000 pt.===
Start with Soul wars, and then get another Soul Wars half. This gives you the 40 chainrasps you need as the core of most lists. Converting Glaivewraith Stalkers into Grimghasts is as easy as trimming the skulls and spikes and turning the blades 90 degrees. Run a Knight of Shrouds on Steed, two Guardians of Souls, two blocks of 20 Chainrasps, a unit of 10 Grimghasts, and the Chainguard battalion, and you have a decent list that's exactly 1k.

===2000 pt.===
A sweet/fun spot for this army. Tons of heroes. Tons of ghosts. Since nearly the entire Nighthaunt range is easy-to-build, putting together a functional 2000pt list is fairly inexpensive and beginner-friendly. At this points value, you should be allying in a Vampire Lord for extra healing(give him the wings so he doesn't get left behind if your force has to jump a wall). Generally at this level you'll want to have a big, powerful deathstar of your chosen killer unit(Grimghasts, Bladegheists, or even Harridans) surrounding and buffed by your heroes(Spirit Torment, at least one Guardian of Souls, and Vampire Lord at a minimum) plus two blocks of 20 Chainrasps to hold terrain. Once you've filled in those essentials, you'll still have a few hundred points to play around with - maybe add Lady Olynder for serious mortal wound output, maybe an endless spell and a unit of 12 Banshees to feed the endless spell to so you can boost their attacks. So many possibilities....

==Allied Armies==
Definitely consider taking a Vampire Lord. The ''DEATHLY INVOCATION'' ability is amazing, as it can dish out a huge amount of healing to your most critical units. The Vampire Lord costs only a little more than your Knight of Shrouds on Steed and has the same Command Ability and similar damage output. The only difference is the lack of Ethereal (And the lack of a Deathless minion save) and more reliable self-healing.

If you want to deploy a '''MALIGNANT''' army consider the Mortis Engine, if only because it's part of Start Collecting - Malignants. Otherwise, build it as either a Bloodseeker Palanquin or Coven Throne, since Soulblight are Nighthaunt allies while Deathmages are not for some reason. The Coven Throne deserves a special mention. They provide Deathly Invocation to help regen your ghosts, they are a Wizard, and their command ability is pretty good allowing any DEATH unit to reroll 1s of attacks, wounds, and saves. If you bought the Nighthaunt start collecting, it might be time to convert those Mortis Engines into Coven Thrones. Keep in mind that the Coven Throne is pricey though. But giving your Nighthaunt re-rolls to wounds, hit, and essentially a AoS 2.0 Mystic Shield, it is very recommended. For added fluff points, give it the Ethereal Amulet from Malign Sorceries for a ethereal save, just like your ghostly pals.

The foot-slogging/flying/Nightmare-riding Vampire Lord has a great buff to toss at your Hexwraiths, though sadly the one on zombie dragon is too expensive to take as an ally. Mannfred von Carstein is also nice because his Dread Abyssal is surrounded by spirits so he fits the theme, because he's very powerful and his buff aura is amazing and because he can summon more Nighthaunts for you every turn.

For Legions, no cheese is spicier than the triple whammy Grimghasts. Take a vampire lord, a Necromancer and a Knight of shrouds on ethereal steed, a guardian of souls with lantern, and a giant honking unit of Grimghasts (Preferably 30). Use the command abilities of both the vamp lord and the knight of shrouds to bump your guys up to 4 attacks each. Next, have your necromancer cast Vanhels Dance Macabre on them so they can fight twice. Did someone say 240 attacks at 3+\3+\-1\1? Now you see those four units you charged, now you don't. Add in a Coven Throne for its CA, and suddenly, they're all re-rolling their wounds.

Honorable mentions should also go out to Morghast Harbingers and Arkhan the Black. Morghasts add in a good source of Rend -2 and Damage 3 attacks that Nighthaunt lack outside of spamming Mymourn banshees and Kudross. Mobility isn't as much a problem either, since you'll most likely be dumping half your Nighthaunt army on the enemy turn 1, and the rest on turn 2, so trust me, your enemy will have more to worry about. This lets your Harbringers to get up the field relatively quickly.

Arkhan also fills a hole in a Nighthaunt army, that hole being reliable magic support. Besides having a good unique spell, and the ability to extend both his and your other Nighthaunts spells, he can also cast the spells of other Death Mages, meaning that you'll get essential spells like Soulcage off.

Lastly, as of his new (Ossiarch Bonereapers) warscroll, his Deathly Invocation will return a flat 3 wounds worth of models to 4 different units - that's guaranteed Spirit Hosts or a crapton of 1 wound models returned.

*'''Big Drogg Fort-Kicka''': A Gatebreaker Mega-Gargant available to all Death factions as an ally. Functions like Gotrek in the Order factions where he uses up your whole allies allowance in exchange for a very destructive monster of a unit. His most important feature is the ability to destroy terrain, including faction terrain. He also has a unique breath attack that attacks one unit within 3" at the end of the combat phase; roll a dice for each model in the unit and deal 1MW on a 6+.

{{Age_of_Sigmar_Tactics}}

Religion

2020-10-26T08:59:19Z

2406:3400:20F:FFC0:1C9F:B1D1:F985:39CC: /* Somewhat special cases */

{{flamewar}}
{{topquote|Science investigates; religion interprets. Science gives man knowledge, which is power; religion gives man wisdom, which is control. Science deals mainly with facts; religion deals mainly with values. The two are not rivals.|Martin Luther King, Jr}}

:'''Dracula''': ''I was called here by, huuuuumans, who wish to pay me tribute!''
:'''Richter Belmont''': ''Tribute?! You steal men's souls! And make them your slaves!''
:'''Dracula''': ''Perhaps the same could be said of all religions.''
::--An excerpt from the infamous exchange that also gave us "What is a man? A miserable little pile of secrets" in [[Castlevania#Castlevania:_Symphony_Of_The_Night_.28Castlevania_9.29|Castlevania: Symphony of the Night.]]

Because it's important to several settings and RPG systems, particularly ones that are high-profile or relevant to /tg/, we have a religion article. Let's try and keep it focused on the directly-related-to-/tg/ stuff and not descend into the pure [[skub]] that can arise in discussions of real-life religions, okay?

==Definition of Religion==
Almost since the inception of the term, scholars have failed to agree on a definition of religion. While there are some belief systems that always count as religions, some have applied the term to various things such as political ideologies, or groups when they reach a certain point. There are however two general definition systems: the sociological/functional and the phenomenological/philosophical.

The two most widely accepted are:
* "a unified system of beliefs and practices relative to sacred things, that is to say things set apart and forbidden - beliefs and practices which unite into one single moral community called a church, all those who adhere to them."
* "a comprehensive worldview or 'metaphysical moral vision' that is accepted as binding because it is held to be in itself basically true and just even if all dimensions of it cannot be either fully confirmed or refuted".

As stated before, one common element that every religion which fits the criteria has is humanity's relation to supernatural forces, as all of them have at least one [[God|god]] and/or an afterlife even where there are exceptions; Buddhism doesn't have any gods or its own idea of the cosmos' origins but has afterlives and the existence of the eternal soul (unless a persons achieves nirvana), and Taoism doesn't have an afterlife in the conventional sense but is pantheistic and has supernatural beings. Religions with a God/god/gods fall under monotheistic (one God) or polytheistic (more than one god), though some of the latter have a variant called henotheistic (multiple gods but only one of them is served). Interestingly, most polytheistic religions have an all-powerful Creator God as the supreme authority in the cosmos who also created the other gods (such as Ptah from Egyptian mythology, Brahma in Hinduism and Nyame for Ghana's Akan people in West African mythology).

Like other terms for heavily [[SJW|debated]] [[communism|subjects]], religion and religious have also been used as insults or Snarl Words in social and political discussions (especially from the 20th century and onwards) to ridicule groups openly promoting something the user disagrees with. This snarl creates a caricature of the group to smear them by association with the worst excesses/negative stereotypes of religious people (like being preachy, judgmental, irrational, hypocritical).

==List of Real-Life Religions==

Too many to list, even without debates about the term. In lieu of a list on this site, here are two complied lists that should cover everything that fits the bill. Otherwise, check out the [[Mythology]] page.

* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_religions_and_spiritual_traditions Wikipedia's list of religions and spiritual traditions]
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Major_religious_groups For a simplified version from Wikipedia that focuses more on major religions]

==Religion vs. Mythology==
While [[Mythology|mythologies]] aren't religions in and of themselves, every religion has a mythology. While mythologies are merely the accounts of supernatural events, religions add rituals, practices and hierarchies that link those mythologies directly to the lives of their believers in one form or another, typically by describing how to properly serve to a god (or multiple gods, it depends) a significant role in the mythology a given religion is derived from. [[Skub|Whatever the source]], the mythology almost always predates the religion. As a result, especially since the Fantasy genre deals in supernatural beings and forces, most if not all fantasy settings have religions. Science fiction does to a lesser degree, mostly because during the Golden Age of sci-fi empiricists and secular humanists were attracted to the genre and their views often seeped into their stories. Despite this, given that most real-life societies have had religions playing a role in or since their founding, religions are still found in sci-fi.

Religions involves belief systems and practices, where an adherent can call upon the power/being the religion is focused on to give them aid in [[cleric|various]] [[Paladin|ways]], depending at the very least on the religion and the task in question. Given that religions are about people's place in the world, how it was made, ideas on how life should be lived and how humans should relate to the supernatural, they have major implications for societies. Given that people can become [[Exarch|dangerously single-minded]] about a cause, people can be become extremists about their religion, regardless of the fact that [[Heironeous|some]] are more benevolent than [[Asmodeus|others]] and in numerous cases even [[Heresy|if it involves going against the religion's teachings]]; in conjunction with the above this means religious conflicts can become widespread, long-lasting, cause carnage and also involve other elements such as politics- both in fantasy and in the real world.

==Role in Society==
{{skubby}}
At least as long as human civilization has existed, religiosity has existed and has almost always been interconnected. A person's belief (for or against) any or all religions is a major factor in their worldview, and as such often serves as the undercurrent for all others. This is because this belief shapes people's views on the big things such as the purpose of life, how life should be lived in relation to oneself and others and what happens to people after they die. On the upside, this often leads to teachings with the goal of unity, peace, charity and co-operation as per the teachings of most religions, some of which are adapted by or also found among non-religious systems. On the downside, this can lead to clashes over how the people involved do the will of whichever beings or forces they follow, which religion should be followed or whether or not people should follow a god or religion at all. This can involve arguments and factionalizing, or in some cases worse things like pogroms and wars. Since they are an overarching and fairly common element in cultures, they often appear or are referenced in fiction.

The most common religious belief systems are the Abrahamic family of religions (primarily Judaism, Christianity and Islam) which are Monotheistic (belief in a singular God) and share many common elements and root, with - at the time this was written - Christianity being the most followed religion globally. Historically, these and other religions were frequently enshrined in law as the "state religion", giving them special privileges such as extensive influence over the government or tax exemptions. In some cases, they even took over the functions of the government entirely (usually on behalf of the Powers-that-be for the religion in question) in a system known as theocracy. While they have become uncommon since the 20th century, theocracies still exist such as Vatican City and Iran.

Within the last few centuries, due to events such as the French Revolution, there has also been a significant amount of anti-religious sentiment, which regards religion as at best redundant and at worst destructive (beyond historical grievances with specific groups within religions, reasons for this view and whether or not those arguments have any merit, shall not be discussed here). For the most part, a combination of people identifying more with their culture or nation than their religion and the concept that religion and functions of state should not interfere with each other has turned into more of a "live and let live" mentality that doesn't really support or oppose any one religion and only reacts when said religions begin actively defying the state or the state starts bringing the boot down on religion. Most of the world's population is religious, with the amount of piety varying from country to country, and of course there are plenty of non-religious people who don't necessarily oppose religion despite not following any themselves.

Throughout history, numerous tyrannical regimes have tried to restrict or stamp out religions. This is usually because religious teachings put the figure/object of worship before the state in a conflict of interest and most religions' teachings condemn tyranny or [[Slaanesh|the vices tyrannical leaders indulge]]. Other reasons include tyrants dislike being answerable to anyone besides themselves and a tyrant may have some form of anti-religious prejudice. While nations have usually tried to block specific religions deemed "false" (read: religions opposing the state-sponsored religion in any way), several nations (usually [[Communism|Communist]] states which took Marx's "religion is the opiate of the masses" quote out of context as a call to arms rather than a passive theory) have tried to get rid of religion altogether, albeit with horrifying [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/League_of_Militant_Atheists results] [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khmer_Rouge_rule_of_Cambodia#Religious_communities each] time. Best case scenario, they sidegrade from one set of problems to another as cults of personality (commonly ones based on the ruler in charge) spring up to exploit the newly created power vacuum while believers who survive the regime try to continue their activities in secret. Worst case scenario, the society crumbles as the people degenerate into a [[Commorragh|violent, fractious and nihilistic mass]].

Aside from the aforementioned theocracies, the most religious nations are countries such as Brazil in South America or Zambia in Africa (Zambia even has a state religion alongside a law that allows for freedom of religion). China is - at the time this was written - the world's least religious and most atheistic country (the situation around North Korea is [[Skub|debatable]], since even though they violently suppress religions [https://www.foxnews.com/world/north-korea-publicly-executes-80-some-for-videos-or-bibles-report-says to the point that merely having copies of religious texts can be grounds for execution], they also have the Kim Cult blended with the Marxist offshoot ideology Juche).

==How this impacts /tg/==
A few major ways. Since most if not every society in real-life has had religion either be the basis for its founding or play a role in it, religion is just as involved in the backstory or current lore of settings. There are three major "modes" of /tg/ settings and related fictions:
* Purely functional use of religion as a story device. (What we might call "Functionalists")
* Endorsement of religion and/or religious people. (What we might call "Religion is Good" types)
* Criticism of religion and/or religious people. (What we might call "Religion is Bad" types)
For ease of categorization, writers who use these modes will also be called proponents, detractors or functionalists (who can be pro, anti or neutral).

===Religion as a story device/Functionalists===
Compared to the two types of writers found below, these writers are usually just attempting to model their work after real-world [[Mythology]] and are frequently attempting to keep their views of Religion separate from their work. Frequently comes in one of two subspecies:
* The [[Standard Fantasy Setting]] default: The world is ruled by an ordinary polytheistic pantheon, usually close to some admixture of Norse and Greek mythologies. Some of them also have a Top God more powerful than all the others, and maybe the in-universe creator of everything who is mostly hands-off in cosmic affairs. The gods of these religions tend to focus on specific areas (gods of [[Paladin|Justice]] and [[Druid|Nature]] are common, for subtly obvious reasons) and frequently want their followers to propagate or promote these things.
* The kind of setting they wanted to make dictated the nature of the divine. For example, in [[Exalted]] just about all the figures anybody would call a "God" (besides the Exalted) are Useless, because the Exalted (which includes the Player Characters) are the guys who were made specifically to do whatever the gods needed them to do for reasons inherent to the setting, to go with the main theme of the setting for the PCs: "You can do ''almost anything'', except '''avoid the consequences of doing that anything'''".

===Religion as a Bad Thing/Detractors===
There are several writers of Science Fiction and Fantasy that are of the opinion "Religion Is Bad", having an axe to grind (sometimes warranted, sometimes not) with either one or more specific real-life religions. This is more common in Sci-Fi than fantasy because the focus on science appeals to the naturalist, empiricist and/or humanist worldview of such writers, with the supernatural being seen as an obstacle to that. Despite that, the view is found among some fantasy authors as well, such as Philip Pullman (who wrote the "His Dark Materials" series as atheistic pushback against C.S Lewis' "Chronicles of Narnia" series). Whatever the genre, this comes in flavors of "The Gods are Incompetent" (more on that below), "The Gods Don't Exist" or "The Gods are Evil". Cosmic Horror also tends to use the latter two or combine them into "The Gods are actually Incomprehensible and Destructive Aliens" ([[H.P. Lovecraft]] himself was an avowed anti-religious atheist - which is why cults are recurring villains in his stories). This also has the side effect of inclining science fiction towards an atheistic perspective.

Another major component is personal issues of the author such as grievance or prejudice, but that's case-by-case and a major can of worms. A writer could resent a specific religion or even the higher power a religion reveres (though opposition to a god or gods is called anti-theistic, not anti-religious), and single them out in their works due to personal bias or promoting an agenda. Worst case scenario, the story is an anti-religious wish fulfillment story or power fantasy - such as Frank Miller's "Holy Terror" comics against Islam and Garth Ennis' "Preacher" comics (and their live-action adaptation) against Christianity.

Whatever the motivation, writers saying this message either model their fictional religions on the worst excesses of real world religious people, use a distorted version of the actual religion or a fictional stand-in (the former is occasionally exaggerated and the latter two are often strawmen). The most frequently targeted religions are Christianity, Islam, any faith that practiced human sacrifice (such as the Aztec religious practices) and Scientology. Cults, especially those with beliefs that mainstream religions consider unorthodox or outright heretical, are especially fertile ground for this message, albeit running the risk of being misapplied to tar other groups with the same brush.

===Religion as a Good Thing/Proponents===
There are several Science Fiction and Fantasy writers who either are religious themselves and want to promote their worldview, look upon religion positively and put that into the story or both. This is more common in Fantasy than Sci-fi, partly because with the supernatural being THE fundamental element of the genre, this gives opportunities to explore many aspects of religiosity. This is less common in science-fiction, but not unheard of, such as Carl Sagan's novel "Contact" where God's signature is found in the digits of pi. These authors usually put more thought into their fictional religion plus its central figure (although they have a tendency to go all "Crystal Dragon Jesus"; that is, resemble real-life religions but with a few details changed), and try and have it be at least a somewhat good influence, although religious institutions and leaders are usually hit-and-miss affairs.

Some people make a fictional setting with figures from real-world religions, either in the real-world or [[CS Lewis|an alternate world like Narnia]]. Others use fictional religions that either visually resemble real-life religions or figures from them. Religions that often get this treatment are the Abrahamic faiths (most often Christianity), Greek mythology, Egyptian mythology and Norse mythology (albeit often a sanitized version of the latter three). In other cases they all but abandon any form of subtlety, with the fictional religion being distinguished from the real-world religion by only a handful of minor changes. Naturally, those kinds of works tend to come off as preachy, to say the least.

Another route this uses is the route that faith itself provides the power as per "[[Belief Function|Belief Function]]" (think Morpheus' "your mind makes it real" quote, but applying at the cosmological level). In fact, Warhammer often goes the route that the gods are powered by faith as well as from their sphere of influence which has either [[Sigmar|caused some people have risen to godhood]] or [[Ynnead|caused new gods to be born in the setting]]. In fact, this has proven the greatest weapon against Chaos in every Warhammer setting (and why the Emperor's plan to starve the Chaos Gods with atheism was doomed to fail from the start).

===Somewhat special cases===

One somewhat special case is the "Religion of Evil"; in many settings, there is a religion that is explicitly capital E Evil and seeks one of the usual "Card Carrying Villain" goals of Control, Conquest, Corruption, or Destruction. Frequently has some admixture of the worst aspects of Roman Paganism, Norse practices, the Aztec, Scientology and/or the various Abrahamic religions. They also often draw from those found in the writings of H.P Lovecraft. If this cult directly worships an individual Evil God, expect whatever makes sense for that deity to be some form of destructive activity--e.g., the cult of the God of Murder demands human sacrifice on a regular basis, with a certain portion of that explicitly being not-careful-enough cultists. Regardless, Religions of Evil can show up in all three above modes, and usually has a special purpose in all three:

* All three types need bad guys. In particular, a group who by definition is Evil is always good for some no-need-to-worry-about-the-ethics-or-morality-of-killing fodder (based on the idea that everyone in is group is evil because you have to do evil to be part of the group).
* Religion is Bad types tend to use them to say either "while they're all Bad, some are worse then others", that "Religion can be used to justify anything", use it as a strawman to tar all with the same brush or they have a personal axe to grind (either against an entire religion, a group within that religion or specific religious people the author dislikes).
* Religion is Good types or the sincerely religious tend to use them as analogies with fanaticism, criticize Real World cults, compare different beliefs or deal with negative aspects of religion (occasionally making jabs at competitive religions, or fellow believers the author disagrees with). Another approach is to have a Religion of Good fighting against a Religion of Evil - either as the heroes of the story or a valued ally - to say "there is good religion, so don't tar all with the same negative brush".
** As a side note, a lot of fantasy has moved slightly away from pure Religions of Evil, for much the same reason as [[Always Chaotic Evil]] races (questions of whether this fosters prejudice against real-life groups and audiences and authors demanding more motive for their villains). While there are still plenty of them, they usually add some nuance that makes them at least morally neutral under their own lights. Popular options are for them to be an off-shoot/subset of another religion and/or be taking vengeance for an injustice (real or perceived, both of which have '''plenty''' of real-life precedent).

[[Urban Fantasy]] writers are another special case, since almost all Urban Fantasy is set in something that might be called "the real world with a twist", with all the usual political trouble that implies. As a result, they can take one of a few routes:
* The most common route is "there are many possible explanations" and vague things up as much as possible ([[True Faith|Faith]] being the power that repels [[Vampire]]s rather than than a cross having any actual connection to a deity is a popular one).
* The second most common route (albeit rarer outside of Cosmic Horror) is the "Religion as a Bad Thing" route. The story is straight up [[Imperial Truth|atheistic/"Religion is Bad" propaganda]] for the more preachy (pun intended) anti-religious writers. It's also frequently used by writers going for [[Edgy|"edgy"]] stories with religious subject matter; in practice, both most often target Christianity or any contemporary cults. On that note, any fictional religions or cults are usually thinly-veiled stand-ins for real-life ones.
* Some Urban Fantasy works with a clear correct religion exist thanks to the above mentioned sincerely religious authors, which are typically [[Chick Tracts|barely veiled proselytizing]] or [[Twilight|just straight up terrible]], though [[Monster Hunter International|there are some good ones]].
* The fourth route, taken most notably by [[Supers|DC and Marvel comics]] among others, is to take an "All Myths are True" approach: All religions are sort of true, but none have any exclusivity to the Truth, so Thor and Athena might have the Archangel Michael on speeddial when the Orochi teams up with Apep to get up to no good and start making trouble in their neighborhoods (because "Mikey really likes kicking serpent tail, and gets annoyed when we don't at least try to invite him to an evil serpent ass-kicking."). Differs from the "vague things up" route by being clearer on some details, and also much more gonzo. The Abrahamic God is the exception here: He's usually kept especially vague, albeit more powerful (and yet infinitely less accessible) than anyone else in the setting, and only referred to by some codephrase (Marvel likes "The One Above All", DC generally goes for "The Presence" or "whatever is behind the Source Wall").

===Miscellaneous Observations===

Doing the "The Gods are Incompetent" thing (the similar but different "The Gods are Insane", "The Gods Are Assholes" and "The Gods Don't Actually Do Anything" routes also falls under this umbrella) can go into any of the three modes; in a sincere monotheist's (such as Christian) work, it can be a "Take That" to polytheistic religions; in a "Religion is Bad" atheist's, it can be one to religion in general; in a Buddhist-influenced work, it can be a part of the whole "even the Gods are tied up in the Wheel of Karma" concept; and, even if the author is not pushing any religious message in any way, there's a neutral, plot-structural reason to go "Incompetent Gods": it can make the adventurers the Most Competent People Available since if that wasn't the case there wouldn't be anything for the adventurers to do.

If a work has multiple writers, (as frequently happens with RPG and Wargame settings, and quite a few popular SciFi/Fantasy ones as well) there's a tendency for the writers to try and pull the setting into one of the other two "modes" depending on their personal views. This leads to the theme changing from one side to the other as the story progresses. A recent example is [[World of Warcraft|the spate of retcons to the cosmology of the Warcraft universe]] and the morality of its fundamental forces/dominant higher powers, the Light and the Void. If the story doesn't get focused on a pro-religion or anti-religion message, it may end up swinging back and forth between both sides or settle in a mid-point which doesn't take a strong stance either way.

Note that members of the "Religion is Bad" and "Religion is Good" brigades will get involved in arguments over the relative morality or "goodness" of various factions in the story and the accuracy of any messages a writer presents. Often history buffs will throw their hat into the ring as well.

==Examples of /tg/ connected fictional religions==
===Warhammer 40k===
* The [[Imperial Truth]] was originally the Emperor's plan on beliefs, which he and his servants propagated throughout the galaxy during the Great Crusade. Attempting to wean mankind away from Chaos and being a firm member of the "Religion is Bad" brigade, the Emperor proclaimed there are no gods, and religion had to be abolished willingly or by force while science or reason are to be used for explaining the universe and morality. Everything transpired according to his design, except theistic religiosity in the 40k universe is the best weapon against Chaos so Emps' interstellar state atheism policy gave them a major opening. Things went from bad to worse when people started looking up to the Emperor as a god himself, [[Exterminatus|he responded accordingly]], and the Chaos Gods got a new tool in the form of [[Lorgar]]. After the Horus Heresy and the Emperor's removal from galactic politics: the Imperial Truth was slowly shelved in favor of the Imperial Cult, to the point that espousing the teachings of the Truth is ironically considered heresy. Only a few practitioners of the Imperial Truth remain, most notably the Custodes and the Space Marines (both of whom know The Emperor better than anybody to worship him as a god. Plus, their religious autonomy.).
** The [[Imperial Cult]] is the present-day religion of the Imperium of Man, and is a mix of several Abrahamic Religions along with copious amounts of warmongering, fanaticism and xenophobia. Derived from the Lectitio Divinatus penned by [[Lorgar]] pre-HH, the Cult decrees that because the Emperor is capable of all these miracles and power: he ''must'' be a god, and why you should worship and pledge loyalty to him. Its a complete 180 from the Emperor's original teachings, and has simultaneously been responsible for damning and saving the Imperium past the clusterfuck of the Horus Heresy. It's unknown whether the Emperor still abhors godhood and religion and would abolish it the moment he could, or if he's resigned himself to becoming the very thing he fought against for mankind to persevere in these trying times. Whatever the case, he didn't want to be a god, but now he has no choice but to become one.
** The [[Adeptus Mechanicus|Cult Mechanicus]] (Machine Cult) is the religion of the Adeptus Mechanicus, placing a heavy emphasis on machines, viewing them as gifts from the Machine God called "The Omnissiah" Officially, the Omnissiah is The Emperor, which allows the Mechanicus to sidestep the more puritan pundits of the Imperial Cult (we worship The Emprah, just not how you do it). Unofficially, the Omnissiah may or may not be the C'tan god: The Void Dragon. It also has a high emphasis on the collection of knowledge, and one of the Admech's roles in the galaxy is to explore remote and uncharted regions of space to find and search for knowledge that has been lost throughout the millennia. The last of these, is guidelines on machines and knowledge. Officially, heretic(tek) and xeno works are to be abhorred and disposed of, viewing them as perversions of the holy Machine God's works. Unofficially however, more liberally-minded and higher-ranked Magos would happily hoard heretek/xeno works, seeing their potential over the more restricted and constrained works of the Mechanicus.

* Chaos is a violent and complicated henotheistic (believing in multiple gods but only worshipping one) or polytheistic religion with dozens, if not hundreds of interpretations. Even then, there's more sub-cults that worship their particular god in a specific way, either minutely or vastly different from everyone else among followers of the Big 4. And this doesn't even get into the realm of Chaos Undivided (which worships the concept of Chaos itself, instead of the individual gods) and [[Malal]]. Chaos has very little established guidelines regarding worship, apart from their patron god's/gods' general likes/dislikes, so any religious practices or rituals are either based on commands from the god/s or up to the imagination of the cult.
** Interestingly, there is a Space Marine of the Chaos faction who follows the Imperial Truth, and that is [[Fabius Bile]].

* All Greenskins worship Gork and Mork (jury's out on whether the [[Gretchin Revolutionary Committee]] do), but are too disorganized to have anything like a formal religion, though they do make effigies of Gork and Mork and call on them. The closest thing they have to tenants is that Gork favors violence, Mork favors cunning. Greenskins have gotten into fights over this, but violence is part of their nature and that of their gods. While they fight over religion, they also fight over almost any dispute anyway, and may even start a religious argument just to enjoy a good fight among themselves (though the only theological argument they can formulate is "is Gork the god of cunning or is Mork?" or vica versa). On the surface, religion does not play a big-enough role in Ork society compared to other races, being just another outlet for Orks to fight about. But if [[Ghazghkull Mag Uruk Thraka|Ghazghkull]] is any indication: religion can have a great impact on Orks, with him being becoming one of the greatest Warlords in the galaxy, primarily because he thinks he's personally blessed by Gork and Mork themselves. So if you throw in the Orks' gestalt field into the mix, its likely that its not that religion doesn't matter to them, it's under-utilized.

* The Tau's creed "The [[Greater Good]]" is a specie-wide philosophy that was adopted ever since the initial unification of the Tau in the olden days. In a nutshell, the Greater Good emphasizes the co-existence of all Tau and sapient life in general into working together for a common goal to further the Tau's progress, seeing everyone's potential and hoping to utilize that for an, ahem, greater good. Personal religion isn't forbidden, but it must not contradict or override The Greater Good, and must be disregarded if it ever does so. Technically, this means Tau can be religious or non-religious, as the Greater Good is not a religion (due to lacking an afterlife and supernatural aspects, with the closest things to figures of worship being the Ethereals). This sounds all fine and dandy, but the Ethereal class, who are responsible for maintaining The Greater Good, have been shown to be less benevolent than believed and have been using their unnaturally powerful charisma to subtly oppress the Tau and use them to further their own agendas.
**The Farsight Enclaves, who have thrown off Ethereal rule, are the exception in that they have rejected The Greater Good, seeing it as the method of oppression used to keep the T'au under complete control of the ethereals. Due to this, if one considers the Greater Good a religion, The Enclaves are irreligious.
**As of the 4th Sphere Expansion disaster, Chaos Tau are starting to become a thing.
**At one point, the Earth Caste gathered Genestealer-infected Tau and studied them to see what would happen. Of course, a Genestealer cult developed and naturally they violently escaped control and surveillance. According to rumors, they've even produced a Genestealer-infected Ethereal.

* The Eldar have varying views on religiosity depending on their type. Their religion is polytheistic, with henotheistic offshoots, and Ausryan was the highest ranking god. However all of the Eldar gods were murder-raped to death by Slaanesh except for Isha (taken by Nurgle), Khaine (shattered and flung into realspace), Cegorach (hiding in the Webway) and Ynnead (born long after Slaanesh's birth). Their Pantheon's religious practices aren't fleshed out save for those of Cegorach, Isha, and Khaine, via the Harlequins and Aspect Warriors. With most of their gods out of commission, Eldar religious worship is of a deistic bent.
** Craftworlders and Exodites almost exclusively worship the original Eldar pantheon, though some engage in henotheistic worship of only one of the gods. Asuryan is more popular among Craftworlders while Isha is among Exodites, though nearly all give Khaine some tribute during war.
** Corsairs are all over the place, though Khaine is a popular choice given their more militant nature.
** Being agents of the Laughing God himself, the Harlequins' worship is centered around [[Cegorach]], whilst still paying minor tribute to the other gods.
** The new faith around Ynnead, the Ynnari, is rapidly growing but have yet to establish teachings or rituals.
** Unique among the Eldar, the Dark Eldar are irreligious for the most part and while they believe some gods exist they're too self-centered to worship them (this is canon). They're often also anti-religious to boot; a major landmark of Commorragh is a landfill of religious icons called Iconoclast's Mound, and one Wych cult - the Pain Eternal - revolves around killing religious people and destroying shrines and holy sites. The sole exception, except for Dark Eldar who stop being Dark Eldar, are the [[Incubi]] who hold [[Khaine]] in high regard.
** The Ynnari have encountered atleast one ancient Craftworld that turned into an entire Genestealer cult in a misguided attempt to avoid getting their souls consumed by Slaanesh as their ship had no infinity circuit present. We're not sure if this worked to any capacity (if at all, given the Hive Mind does not absorb souls), but they were taken down by the Ynnari for obvious reasons.
** There are numerous rumors of a very small number of Chaos Eldar, but these are barely fleshed out and heavily classified in-universe. There have been verified Nurgle-worshipping Eldar and persistent rumors that some have embraced Slaanesh without becoming soul-food. Apart from this, some Dark Eldar have been willing to summon Chaos Daemons or work with Chaos worshippers ([[Fabius Bile|or allies of Chaos]]) to further their own ends.

* While the Necrontyr had religions before certain [[C'tan|star entities]] [[Necrons|roboticizied them]], those aren't fleshed out or detailed. Its also heavily implied the C'tan co-opted the Necrontyr religion beforehand. With the change to Necrons taking the higher though processes of most of them, any Necrons who can comprehend faith and religiosity either worship the C'tan or have become irreligious.

* The Tyranids themselves are irreligious, being spehss bugs and all, but understand at least a few of the advantages of religion. [[Genestealer]]s infect people and together they establish cults on targeted worlds, such as one worshipping "Children of the Stars", a perversion of the Imperial Cult (such as one that worships a [[Swarmlord|four-armed]] version of the Emperor) or something else like "Celebrants of Nihilism" (yes, that's a canon Genestealer cult name). Psychic influence is often involved and, notably, the Genestealers do not consider themselves gods. Once the Tyranids arrive en-masse, the cult-gets assimilated along with all non-Tyranids willingly or not. An interesting tidbit is that the Hive Mind stops the Tyranids from attacking the cultists in early stages of the invasion and leads them on, only to later override the Genestealers' wills and and make them slaughter the cultists.

===Dungeons and Dragons===
* Among Dungeons and Dragons settings, [[Planescape]], [[Eberron]], and [[Pathfinder]] are notable for having some coherent things that could be called "Religions", rather then the usual generic Pantheism.
** Most of Planescape's Factions effectively count as religions, to the point they can produce [[Cleric]]s ([[Planescape: Torment#Fall-From-Grace|Atheist ones at that]]). Yes, even the Athar. (Perhaps ''especially'' the Athar.)
** Half of Eberron's religions aren't worship of deities. The [[Blood of Vol]] seeks to unlock the divinity within one's self and rejects the gods (if they even exist) and the [[Path of Inspiration]] seeks to improve their next reincarnation. The Undying Court worships not gods but their undead ancestors that make up their government. The [[Path of Light]], [[Warforged_Mysteries#The_Becoming_God|Becoming God]] and [[Warforged_Mysteries#The_Reforged|Reforged]] all seek to ''create'' a deity. Even some interpretations of the [[Sovereign Host]], like the one most common among dragons, don't worship them as deities. Due to the way divine casting works in Eberron, all of these can produce divine casters.
** There's a handful of religions on [[Golarion]] that aren't merely worship of pantheons. The most prominent (read: Actually has mechanical support) is the [[Prophecies of Kalistrade]], which is basically fantasy [[Star Trek|Ferengi]].

* [[D20 Modern]]'s [[Urban Arcana]], unusually for urban fantasy, has D&D deities bleed into reality alongside the monsters. You are still able to play a <s>cleric</s> "acolyte" of any real world deity despite this.

===Star Wars===
* [[Star Wars]] is inconsistent on if the [[The Force]] is a religion. The Jedi and the Sith ''could'' both be considered religions as they are considered monastic, but mix in several other traits such as being meritocratic (Jedi) and kraterocratic (Sith) and Lucas himself has axed at least one prototyped book for portraying them too much as a religion. On the other hand, there's the Imperial officer in ''"A New Hope"'' who disses Vader's ways as "sad devotion to ancient religion", only to get [[Meme|chided for his lack of faith with a Force choke]]. It's also notable that the Sith were former Jedi who left the Jedi path for several reasons including [[Heresy|disagreements over the teachings of that creed]]. Aside from that, religion is nearly always a non-human tradition, something noted in a culture's historical background and never seen implying its extinction, or a scam. The religiously linked "damn" and "hell" are the two real world swear words that exist in-universe, purely because Han Solo used them in the films, and some concept of an "angel" exists because a young Anakin told Padme about them in the prequel trilogy films.
** There are rare exceptions where a religion is fleshed out and explored, and the writing goes various directions for better or worse. A notable example is the aggressive polytheistic religion of the antagonistic Yuuzhan Vong from the EU (which the story gradually revealed was long ago perverted from benevolent roots, and this perverted form takes a few cues from Islam and Aztec mythology).

===Star Trek===
* Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry had a low opinion of religion and in his vision humanity had done away with it and was better off for it and he had no interest in adding it to the aliens. However, some of the cast and crew disagreed and occasionally references and religions found their way into the show, which increased after Roddenberry's death. The Federation's culture is distinctly humanistic (extending the concept to alien species) in it's outlook in which religion is regarded as a thing of the past.
** While there are plenty of "Godlike" entities in Star Trek, almost all are treated as Sufficiently Advanced Aliens in the Arthur C. Clarke sense--and in particular, in ST:TNG, the flip side, that Picard and his crew are frequently shown to look like Gods to sufficiently primitive aliens, is gone into in more than one episode.
** The primary religion of the Federations main frenemies, the Klingons, is a deistic religion where a Klingon warrior killed their gods, and in their belief Klingons who live according to those tenants get to live in a pseudo-Valhalla.
** The Bajorans are a highly religious alien race, with the majority following peaceful teachings and a minority of violent extremists.
*** Of some note, the Bajoran religion is of interest because their "Gods" actually exist, and can be (somewhat incomprehensibly) talked to (a rarity outside of [[Science Fantasy]]). In other words, they were frequently a method of having some religion vs. science debates where the divine entity (A) explicitly exists, (B) is explainable as "sufficiently advanced and unusual aliens", and (C) aren't jerks, just bad at communication with those of us who experience time linearly--in other words, with a deck that wasn't quite as badly stacked. The religiosity was meant to be as a way of contrasting the Starfleet personnel with the native population and to draw a parallel between Bajorans under the Cardassian Occupation and various real world recently freed oppressed religious-slash-ethnic groups.
** <s>In the fifth Star Trek movie, ''"The Final Frontier"'', some of the crew steal the Enterprise to look for God and instead find a powerful alien being impersonating God in the center of the universe</s> '''Just like there is no live-action movie of Avatar: The Last Airbender, there is totally no Star Trek 5!'''

===World of Darkness===
* Very large books could be written about religion and [[World of Darkness]]/Chronicles of Darkness. We'll just cover a few highlights:
** From [[Vampire: The Requiem]], there's the the Lancea et Sanctum, which might be best described as "Christianity for Vampires", and the Circle of the Crone, which is "Pagan Vampires". Both have Vampire miracles on tap (pun intended).
** [[Hunter: The Vigil]] has various religious organizations among the Compacts and Conspiracies, some very similar to real world ones, others...not so much.
** [[Mage: The Ascension]] has various religious Traditions, portrayed in that highly-stereotypical and highly-depending-on-the-author way typical of old WoD.

==See also==
* [[Mythology]]
* [[True Faith]], a common mechanic to weaponize religion in [[Urban Fantasy]].

[[Category:Not related]]
[[Category:History]]

Religion

2020-10-26T08:58:49Z

2406:3400:20F:FFC0:1C9F:B1D1:F985:39CC: /* Somewhat special cases */

{{flamewar}}
{{topquote|Science investigates; religion interprets. Science gives man knowledge, which is power; religion gives man wisdom, which is control. Science deals mainly with facts; religion deals mainly with values. The two are not rivals.|Martin Luther King, Jr}}

:'''Dracula''': ''I was called here by, huuuuumans, who wish to pay me tribute!''
:'''Richter Belmont''': ''Tribute?! You steal men's souls! And make them your slaves!''
:'''Dracula''': ''Perhaps the same could be said of all religions.''
::--An excerpt from the infamous exchange that also gave us "What is a man? A miserable little pile of secrets" in [[Castlevania#Castlevania:_Symphony_Of_The_Night_.28Castlevania_9.29|Castlevania: Symphony of the Night.]]

Because it's important to several settings and RPG systems, particularly ones that are high-profile or relevant to /tg/, we have a religion article. Let's try and keep it focused on the directly-related-to-/tg/ stuff and not descend into the pure [[skub]] that can arise in discussions of real-life religions, okay?

==Definition of Religion==
Almost since the inception of the term, scholars have failed to agree on a definition of religion. While there are some belief systems that always count as religions, some have applied the term to various things such as political ideologies, or groups when they reach a certain point. There are however two general definition systems: the sociological/functional and the phenomenological/philosophical.

The two most widely accepted are:
* "a unified system of beliefs and practices relative to sacred things, that is to say things set apart and forbidden - beliefs and practices which unite into one single moral community called a church, all those who adhere to them."
* "a comprehensive worldview or 'metaphysical moral vision' that is accepted as binding because it is held to be in itself basically true and just even if all dimensions of it cannot be either fully confirmed or refuted".

As stated before, one common element that every religion which fits the criteria has is humanity's relation to supernatural forces, as all of them have at least one [[God|god]] and/or an afterlife even where there are exceptions; Buddhism doesn't have any gods or its own idea of the cosmos' origins but has afterlives and the existence of the eternal soul (unless a persons achieves nirvana), and Taoism doesn't have an afterlife in the conventional sense but is pantheistic and has supernatural beings. Religions with a God/god/gods fall under monotheistic (one God) or polytheistic (more than one god), though some of the latter have a variant called henotheistic (multiple gods but only one of them is served). Interestingly, most polytheistic religions have an all-powerful Creator God as the supreme authority in the cosmos who also created the other gods (such as Ptah from Egyptian mythology, Brahma in Hinduism and Nyame for Ghana's Akan people in West African mythology).

Like other terms for heavily [[SJW|debated]] [[communism|subjects]], religion and religious have also been used as insults or Snarl Words in social and political discussions (especially from the 20th century and onwards) to ridicule groups openly promoting something the user disagrees with. This snarl creates a caricature of the group to smear them by association with the worst excesses/negative stereotypes of religious people (like being preachy, judgmental, irrational, hypocritical).

==List of Real-Life Religions==

Too many to list, even without debates about the term. In lieu of a list on this site, here are two complied lists that should cover everything that fits the bill. Otherwise, check out the [[Mythology]] page.

* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_religions_and_spiritual_traditions Wikipedia's list of religions and spiritual traditions]
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Major_religious_groups For a simplified version from Wikipedia that focuses more on major religions]

==Religion vs. Mythology==
While [[Mythology|mythologies]] aren't religions in and of themselves, every religion has a mythology. While mythologies are merely the accounts of supernatural events, religions add rituals, practices and hierarchies that link those mythologies directly to the lives of their believers in one form or another, typically by describing how to properly serve to a god (or multiple gods, it depends) a significant role in the mythology a given religion is derived from. [[Skub|Whatever the source]], the mythology almost always predates the religion. As a result, especially since the Fantasy genre deals in supernatural beings and forces, most if not all fantasy settings have religions. Science fiction does to a lesser degree, mostly because during the Golden Age of sci-fi empiricists and secular humanists were attracted to the genre and their views often seeped into their stories. Despite this, given that most real-life societies have had religions playing a role in or since their founding, religions are still found in sci-fi.

Religions involves belief systems and practices, where an adherent can call upon the power/being the religion is focused on to give them aid in [[cleric|various]] [[Paladin|ways]], depending at the very least on the religion and the task in question. Given that religions are about people's place in the world, how it was made, ideas on how life should be lived and how humans should relate to the supernatural, they have major implications for societies. Given that people can become [[Exarch|dangerously single-minded]] about a cause, people can be become extremists about their religion, regardless of the fact that [[Heironeous|some]] are more benevolent than [[Asmodeus|others]] and in numerous cases even [[Heresy|if it involves going against the religion's teachings]]; in conjunction with the above this means religious conflicts can become widespread, long-lasting, cause carnage and also involve other elements such as politics- both in fantasy and in the real world.

==Role in Society==
{{skubby}}
At least as long as human civilization has existed, religiosity has existed and has almost always been interconnected. A person's belief (for or against) any or all religions is a major factor in their worldview, and as such often serves as the undercurrent for all others. This is because this belief shapes people's views on the big things such as the purpose of life, how life should be lived in relation to oneself and others and what happens to people after they die. On the upside, this often leads to teachings with the goal of unity, peace, charity and co-operation as per the teachings of most religions, some of which are adapted by or also found among non-religious systems. On the downside, this can lead to clashes over how the people involved do the will of whichever beings or forces they follow, which religion should be followed or whether or not people should follow a god or religion at all. This can involve arguments and factionalizing, or in some cases worse things like pogroms and wars. Since they are an overarching and fairly common element in cultures, they often appear or are referenced in fiction.

The most common religious belief systems are the Abrahamic family of religions (primarily Judaism, Christianity and Islam) which are Monotheistic (belief in a singular God) and share many common elements and root, with - at the time this was written - Christianity being the most followed religion globally. Historically, these and other religions were frequently enshrined in law as the "state religion", giving them special privileges such as extensive influence over the government or tax exemptions. In some cases, they even took over the functions of the government entirely (usually on behalf of the Powers-that-be for the religion in question) in a system known as theocracy. While they have become uncommon since the 20th century, theocracies still exist such as Vatican City and Iran.

Within the last few centuries, due to events such as the French Revolution, there has also been a significant amount of anti-religious sentiment, which regards religion as at best redundant and at worst destructive (beyond historical grievances with specific groups within religions, reasons for this view and whether or not those arguments have any merit, shall not be discussed here). For the most part, a combination of people identifying more with their culture or nation than their religion and the concept that religion and functions of state should not interfere with each other has turned into more of a "live and let live" mentality that doesn't really support or oppose any one religion and only reacts when said religions begin actively defying the state or the state starts bringing the boot down on religion. Most of the world's population is religious, with the amount of piety varying from country to country, and of course there are plenty of non-religious people who don't necessarily oppose religion despite not following any themselves.

Throughout history, numerous tyrannical regimes have tried to restrict or stamp out religions. This is usually because religious teachings put the figure/object of worship before the state in a conflict of interest and most religions' teachings condemn tyranny or [[Slaanesh|the vices tyrannical leaders indulge]]. Other reasons include tyrants dislike being answerable to anyone besides themselves and a tyrant may have some form of anti-religious prejudice. While nations have usually tried to block specific religions deemed "false" (read: religions opposing the state-sponsored religion in any way), several nations (usually [[Communism|Communist]] states which took Marx's "religion is the opiate of the masses" quote out of context as a call to arms rather than a passive theory) have tried to get rid of religion altogether, albeit with horrifying [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/League_of_Militant_Atheists results] [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khmer_Rouge_rule_of_Cambodia#Religious_communities each] time. Best case scenario, they sidegrade from one set of problems to another as cults of personality (commonly ones based on the ruler in charge) spring up to exploit the newly created power vacuum while believers who survive the regime try to continue their activities in secret. Worst case scenario, the society crumbles as the people degenerate into a [[Commorragh|violent, fractious and nihilistic mass]].

Aside from the aforementioned theocracies, the most religious nations are countries such as Brazil in South America or Zambia in Africa (Zambia even has a state religion alongside a law that allows for freedom of religion). China is - at the time this was written - the world's least religious and most atheistic country (the situation around North Korea is [[Skub|debatable]], since even though they violently suppress religions [https://www.foxnews.com/world/north-korea-publicly-executes-80-some-for-videos-or-bibles-report-says to the point that merely having copies of religious texts can be grounds for execution], they also have the Kim Cult blended with the Marxist offshoot ideology Juche).

==How this impacts /tg/==
A few major ways. Since most if not every society in real-life has had religion either be the basis for its founding or play a role in it, religion is just as involved in the backstory or current lore of settings. There are three major "modes" of /tg/ settings and related fictions:
* Purely functional use of religion as a story device. (What we might call "Functionalists")
* Endorsement of religion and/or religious people. (What we might call "Religion is Good" types)
* Criticism of religion and/or religious people. (What we might call "Religion is Bad" types)
For ease of categorization, writers who use these modes will also be called proponents, detractors or functionalists (who can be pro, anti or neutral).

===Religion as a story device/Functionalists===
Compared to the two types of writers found below, these writers are usually just attempting to model their work after real-world [[Mythology]] and are frequently attempting to keep their views of Religion separate from their work. Frequently comes in one of two subspecies:
* The [[Standard Fantasy Setting]] default: The world is ruled by an ordinary polytheistic pantheon, usually close to some admixture of Norse and Greek mythologies. Some of them also have a Top God more powerful than all the others, and maybe the in-universe creator of everything who is mostly hands-off in cosmic affairs. The gods of these religions tend to focus on specific areas (gods of [[Paladin|Justice]] and [[Druid|Nature]] are common, for subtly obvious reasons) and frequently want their followers to propagate or promote these things.
* The kind of setting they wanted to make dictated the nature of the divine. For example, in [[Exalted]] just about all the figures anybody would call a "God" (besides the Exalted) are Useless, because the Exalted (which includes the Player Characters) are the guys who were made specifically to do whatever the gods needed them to do for reasons inherent to the setting, to go with the main theme of the setting for the PCs: "You can do ''almost anything'', except '''avoid the consequences of doing that anything'''".

===Religion as a Bad Thing/Detractors===
There are several writers of Science Fiction and Fantasy that are of the opinion "Religion Is Bad", having an axe to grind (sometimes warranted, sometimes not) with either one or more specific real-life religions. This is more common in Sci-Fi than fantasy because the focus on science appeals to the naturalist, empiricist and/or humanist worldview of such writers, with the supernatural being seen as an obstacle to that. Despite that, the view is found among some fantasy authors as well, such as Philip Pullman (who wrote the "His Dark Materials" series as atheistic pushback against C.S Lewis' "Chronicles of Narnia" series). Whatever the genre, this comes in flavors of "The Gods are Incompetent" (more on that below), "The Gods Don't Exist" or "The Gods are Evil". Cosmic Horror also tends to use the latter two or combine them into "The Gods are actually Incomprehensible and Destructive Aliens" ([[H.P. Lovecraft]] himself was an avowed anti-religious atheist - which is why cults are recurring villains in his stories). This also has the side effect of inclining science fiction towards an atheistic perspective.

Another major component is personal issues of the author such as grievance or prejudice, but that's case-by-case and a major can of worms. A writer could resent a specific religion or even the higher power a religion reveres (though opposition to a god or gods is called anti-theistic, not anti-religious), and single them out in their works due to personal bias or promoting an agenda. Worst case scenario, the story is an anti-religious wish fulfillment story or power fantasy - such as Frank Miller's "Holy Terror" comics against Islam and Garth Ennis' "Preacher" comics (and their live-action adaptation) against Christianity.

Whatever the motivation, writers saying this message either model their fictional religions on the worst excesses of real world religious people, use a distorted version of the actual religion or a fictional stand-in (the former is occasionally exaggerated and the latter two are often strawmen). The most frequently targeted religions are Christianity, Islam, any faith that practiced human sacrifice (such as the Aztec religious practices) and Scientology. Cults, especially those with beliefs that mainstream religions consider unorthodox or outright heretical, are especially fertile ground for this message, albeit running the risk of being misapplied to tar other groups with the same brush.

===Religion as a Good Thing/Proponents===
There are several Science Fiction and Fantasy writers who either are religious themselves and want to promote their worldview, look upon religion positively and put that into the story or both. This is more common in Fantasy than Sci-fi, partly because with the supernatural being THE fundamental element of the genre, this gives opportunities to explore many aspects of religiosity. This is less common in science-fiction, but not unheard of, such as Carl Sagan's novel "Contact" where God's signature is found in the digits of pi. These authors usually put more thought into their fictional religion plus its central figure (although they have a tendency to go all "Crystal Dragon Jesus"; that is, resemble real-life religions but with a few details changed), and try and have it be at least a somewhat good influence, although religious institutions and leaders are usually hit-and-miss affairs.

Some people make a fictional setting with figures from real-world religions, either in the real-world or [[CS Lewis|an alternate world like Narnia]]. Others use fictional religions that either visually resemble real-life religions or figures from them. Religions that often get this treatment are the Abrahamic faiths (most often Christianity), Greek mythology, Egyptian mythology and Norse mythology (albeit often a sanitized version of the latter three). In other cases they all but abandon any form of subtlety, with the fictional religion being distinguished from the real-world religion by only a handful of minor changes. Naturally, those kinds of works tend to come off as preachy, to say the least.

Another route this uses is the route that faith itself provides the power as per "[[Belief Function|Belief Function]]" (think Morpheus' "your mind makes it real" quote, but applying at the cosmological level). In fact, Warhammer often goes the route that the gods are powered by faith as well as from their sphere of influence which has either [[Sigmar|caused some people have risen to godhood]] or [[Ynnead|caused new gods to be born in the setting]]. In fact, this has proven the greatest weapon against Chaos in every Warhammer setting (and why the Emperor's plan to starve the Chaos Gods with atheism was doomed to fail from the start).

===Somewhat special cases===

One somewhat special case is the "Religion of Evil"; in many settings, there is a religion that is explicitly capital E Evil and seeks one of the usual "Card Carrying Villain" goals of Control, Conquest, Corruption, or Destruction. Frequently has some admixture of the worst aspects of Roman Paganism, Norse practices, the Aztec, Scientology and/or the various Abrahamic religions. They also often draw from those found in the writings of H.P Lovecraft. If this cult directly worships an individual Evil God, expect whatever makes sense for that deity to be some form of destructive activity--e.g., the cult of the God of Murder demands human sacrifice on a regular basis, with a certain portion of that explicitly being not-careful-enough cultists. Regardless, Religions of Evil can show up in all three above modes, and usually has a special purpose in all three:

* All three types need bad guys. In particular, a group who by definition is Evil is always good for some no-need-to-worry-about-the-ethics-or-morality-of-killing fodder (based on the idea that everyone in is group is evil because you have to do evil to be part of the group).
* Religion is Bad types tend to use them to say either "while they're all Bad, some are worse then others", that "Religion can be used to justify anything", use it as a strawman to tar all with the same brush or they have a personal axe to grind (either against an entire religion, a group within that religion or specific individual adherents).
* Religion is Good types or the sincerely religious tend to use them as analogies with fanaticism, criticize Real World cults, compare different beliefs or deal with negative aspects of religion (occasionally making jabs at competitive religions, or fellow believers the author disagrees with). Another approach is to have a Religion of Good fighting against a Religion of Evil - either as the heroes of the story or a valued ally - to say "there is good religion, so don't tar all with the same negative brush".
** As a side note, a lot of fantasy has moved slightly away from pure Religions of Evil, for much the same reason as [[Always Chaotic Evil]] races (questions of whether this fosters prejudice against real-life groups and audiences and authors demanding more motive for their villains). While there are still plenty of them, they usually add some nuance that makes them at least morally neutral under their own lights. Popular options are for them to be an off-shoot/subset of another religion and/or be taking vengeance for an injustice (real or perceived, both of which have '''plenty''' of real-life precedent).

[[Urban Fantasy]] writers are another special case, since almost all Urban Fantasy is set in something that might be called "the real world with a twist", with all the usual political trouble that implies. As a result, they can take one of a few routes:
* The most common route is "there are many possible explanations" and vague things up as much as possible ([[True Faith|Faith]] being the power that repels [[Vampire]]s rather than than a cross having any actual connection to a deity is a popular one).
* The second most common route (albeit rarer outside of Cosmic Horror) is the "Religion as a Bad Thing" route. The story is straight up [[Imperial Truth|atheistic/"Religion is Bad" propaganda]] for the more preachy (pun intended) anti-religious writers. It's also frequently used by writers going for [[Edgy|"edgy"]] stories with religious subject matter; in practice, both most often target Christianity or any contemporary cults. On that note, any fictional religions or cults are usually thinly-veiled stand-ins for real-life ones.
* Some Urban Fantasy works with a clear correct religion exist thanks to the above mentioned sincerely religious authors, which are typically [[Chick Tracts|barely veiled proselytizing]] or [[Twilight|just straight up terrible]], though [[Monster Hunter International|there are some good ones]].
* The fourth route, taken most notably by [[Supers|DC and Marvel comics]] among others, is to take an "All Myths are True" approach: All religions are sort of true, but none have any exclusivity to the Truth, so Thor and Athena might have the Archangel Michael on speeddial when the Orochi teams up with Apep to get up to no good and start making trouble in their neighborhoods (because "Mikey really likes kicking serpent tail, and gets annoyed when we don't at least try to invite him to an evil serpent ass-kicking."). Differs from the "vague things up" route by being clearer on some details, and also much more gonzo. The Abrahamic God is the exception here: He's usually kept especially vague, albeit more powerful (and yet infinitely less accessible) than anyone else in the setting, and only referred to by some codephrase (Marvel likes "The One Above All", DC generally goes for "The Presence" or "whatever is behind the Source Wall").

===Miscellaneous Observations===

Doing the "The Gods are Incompetent" thing (the similar but different "The Gods are Insane", "The Gods Are Assholes" and "The Gods Don't Actually Do Anything" routes also falls under this umbrella) can go into any of the three modes; in a sincere monotheist's (such as Christian) work, it can be a "Take That" to polytheistic religions; in a "Religion is Bad" atheist's, it can be one to religion in general; in a Buddhist-influenced work, it can be a part of the whole "even the Gods are tied up in the Wheel of Karma" concept; and, even if the author is not pushing any religious message in any way, there's a neutral, plot-structural reason to go "Incompetent Gods": it can make the adventurers the Most Competent People Available since if that wasn't the case there wouldn't be anything for the adventurers to do.

If a work has multiple writers, (as frequently happens with RPG and Wargame settings, and quite a few popular SciFi/Fantasy ones as well) there's a tendency for the writers to try and pull the setting into one of the other two "modes" depending on their personal views. This leads to the theme changing from one side to the other as the story progresses. A recent example is [[World of Warcraft|the spate of retcons to the cosmology of the Warcraft universe]] and the morality of its fundamental forces/dominant higher powers, the Light and the Void. If the story doesn't get focused on a pro-religion or anti-religion message, it may end up swinging back and forth between both sides or settle in a mid-point which doesn't take a strong stance either way.

Note that members of the "Religion is Bad" and "Religion is Good" brigades will get involved in arguments over the relative morality or "goodness" of various factions in the story and the accuracy of any messages a writer presents. Often history buffs will throw their hat into the ring as well.

==Examples of /tg/ connected fictional religions==
===Warhammer 40k===
* The [[Imperial Truth]] was originally the Emperor's plan on beliefs, which he and his servants propagated throughout the galaxy during the Great Crusade. Attempting to wean mankind away from Chaos and being a firm member of the "Religion is Bad" brigade, the Emperor proclaimed there are no gods, and religion had to be abolished willingly or by force while science or reason are to be used for explaining the universe and morality. Everything transpired according to his design, except theistic religiosity in the 40k universe is the best weapon against Chaos so Emps' interstellar state atheism policy gave them a major opening. Things went from bad to worse when people started looking up to the Emperor as a god himself, [[Exterminatus|he responded accordingly]], and the Chaos Gods got a new tool in the form of [[Lorgar]]. After the Horus Heresy and the Emperor's removal from galactic politics: the Imperial Truth was slowly shelved in favor of the Imperial Cult, to the point that espousing the teachings of the Truth is ironically considered heresy. Only a few practitioners of the Imperial Truth remain, most notably the Custodes and the Space Marines (both of whom know The Emperor better than anybody to worship him as a god. Plus, their religious autonomy.).
** The [[Imperial Cult]] is the present-day religion of the Imperium of Man, and is a mix of several Abrahamic Religions along with copious amounts of warmongering, fanaticism and xenophobia. Derived from the Lectitio Divinatus penned by [[Lorgar]] pre-HH, the Cult decrees that because the Emperor is capable of all these miracles and power: he ''must'' be a god, and why you should worship and pledge loyalty to him. Its a complete 180 from the Emperor's original teachings, and has simultaneously been responsible for damning and saving the Imperium past the clusterfuck of the Horus Heresy. It's unknown whether the Emperor still abhors godhood and religion and would abolish it the moment he could, or if he's resigned himself to becoming the very thing he fought against for mankind to persevere in these trying times. Whatever the case, he didn't want to be a god, but now he has no choice but to become one.
** The [[Adeptus Mechanicus|Cult Mechanicus]] (Machine Cult) is the religion of the Adeptus Mechanicus, placing a heavy emphasis on machines, viewing them as gifts from the Machine God called "The Omnissiah" Officially, the Omnissiah is The Emperor, which allows the Mechanicus to sidestep the more puritan pundits of the Imperial Cult (we worship The Emprah, just not how you do it). Unofficially, the Omnissiah may or may not be the C'tan god: The Void Dragon. It also has a high emphasis on the collection of knowledge, and one of the Admech's roles in the galaxy is to explore remote and uncharted regions of space to find and search for knowledge that has been lost throughout the millennia. The last of these, is guidelines on machines and knowledge. Officially, heretic(tek) and xeno works are to be abhorred and disposed of, viewing them as perversions of the holy Machine God's works. Unofficially however, more liberally-minded and higher-ranked Magos would happily hoard heretek/xeno works, seeing their potential over the more restricted and constrained works of the Mechanicus.

* Chaos is a violent and complicated henotheistic (believing in multiple gods but only worshipping one) or polytheistic religion with dozens, if not hundreds of interpretations. Even then, there's more sub-cults that worship their particular god in a specific way, either minutely or vastly different from everyone else among followers of the Big 4. And this doesn't even get into the realm of Chaos Undivided (which worships the concept of Chaos itself, instead of the individual gods) and [[Malal]]. Chaos has very little established guidelines regarding worship, apart from their patron god's/gods' general likes/dislikes, so any religious practices or rituals are either based on commands from the god/s or up to the imagination of the cult.
** Interestingly, there is a Space Marine of the Chaos faction who follows the Imperial Truth, and that is [[Fabius Bile]].

* All Greenskins worship Gork and Mork (jury's out on whether the [[Gretchin Revolutionary Committee]] do), but are too disorganized to have anything like a formal religion, though they do make effigies of Gork and Mork and call on them. The closest thing they have to tenants is that Gork favors violence, Mork favors cunning. Greenskins have gotten into fights over this, but violence is part of their nature and that of their gods. While they fight over religion, they also fight over almost any dispute anyway, and may even start a religious argument just to enjoy a good fight among themselves (though the only theological argument they can formulate is "is Gork the god of cunning or is Mork?" or vica versa). On the surface, religion does not play a big-enough role in Ork society compared to other races, being just another outlet for Orks to fight about. But if [[Ghazghkull Mag Uruk Thraka|Ghazghkull]] is any indication: religion can have a great impact on Orks, with him being becoming one of the greatest Warlords in the galaxy, primarily because he thinks he's personally blessed by Gork and Mork themselves. So if you throw in the Orks' gestalt field into the mix, its likely that its not that religion doesn't matter to them, it's under-utilized.

* The Tau's creed "The [[Greater Good]]" is a specie-wide philosophy that was adopted ever since the initial unification of the Tau in the olden days. In a nutshell, the Greater Good emphasizes the co-existence of all Tau and sapient life in general into working together for a common goal to further the Tau's progress, seeing everyone's potential and hoping to utilize that for an, ahem, greater good. Personal religion isn't forbidden, but it must not contradict or override The Greater Good, and must be disregarded if it ever does so. Technically, this means Tau can be religious or non-religious, as the Greater Good is not a religion (due to lacking an afterlife and supernatural aspects, with the closest things to figures of worship being the Ethereals). This sounds all fine and dandy, but the Ethereal class, who are responsible for maintaining The Greater Good, have been shown to be less benevolent than believed and have been using their unnaturally powerful charisma to subtly oppress the Tau and use them to further their own agendas.
**The Farsight Enclaves, who have thrown off Ethereal rule, are the exception in that they have rejected The Greater Good, seeing it as the method of oppression used to keep the T'au under complete control of the ethereals. Due to this, if one considers the Greater Good a religion, The Enclaves are irreligious.
**As of the 4th Sphere Expansion disaster, Chaos Tau are starting to become a thing.
**At one point, the Earth Caste gathered Genestealer-infected Tau and studied them to see what would happen. Of course, a Genestealer cult developed and naturally they violently escaped control and surveillance. According to rumors, they've even produced a Genestealer-infected Ethereal.

* The Eldar have varying views on religiosity depending on their type. Their religion is polytheistic, with henotheistic offshoots, and Ausryan was the highest ranking god. However all of the Eldar gods were murder-raped to death by Slaanesh except for Isha (taken by Nurgle), Khaine (shattered and flung into realspace), Cegorach (hiding in the Webway) and Ynnead (born long after Slaanesh's birth). Their Pantheon's religious practices aren't fleshed out save for those of Cegorach, Isha, and Khaine, via the Harlequins and Aspect Warriors. With most of their gods out of commission, Eldar religious worship is of a deistic bent.
** Craftworlders and Exodites almost exclusively worship the original Eldar pantheon, though some engage in henotheistic worship of only one of the gods. Asuryan is more popular among Craftworlders while Isha is among Exodites, though nearly all give Khaine some tribute during war.
** Corsairs are all over the place, though Khaine is a popular choice given their more militant nature.
** Being agents of the Laughing God himself, the Harlequins' worship is centered around [[Cegorach]], whilst still paying minor tribute to the other gods.
** The new faith around Ynnead, the Ynnari, is rapidly growing but have yet to establish teachings or rituals.
** Unique among the Eldar, the Dark Eldar are irreligious for the most part and while they believe some gods exist they're too self-centered to worship them (this is canon). They're often also anti-religious to boot; a major landmark of Commorragh is a landfill of religious icons called Iconoclast's Mound, and one Wych cult - the Pain Eternal - revolves around killing religious people and destroying shrines and holy sites. The sole exception, except for Dark Eldar who stop being Dark Eldar, are the [[Incubi]] who hold [[Khaine]] in high regard.
** The Ynnari have encountered atleast one ancient Craftworld that turned into an entire Genestealer cult in a misguided attempt to avoid getting their souls consumed by Slaanesh as their ship had no infinity circuit present. We're not sure if this worked to any capacity (if at all, given the Hive Mind does not absorb souls), but they were taken down by the Ynnari for obvious reasons.
** There are numerous rumors of a very small number of Chaos Eldar, but these are barely fleshed out and heavily classified in-universe. There have been verified Nurgle-worshipping Eldar and persistent rumors that some have embraced Slaanesh without becoming soul-food. Apart from this, some Dark Eldar have been willing to summon Chaos Daemons or work with Chaos worshippers ([[Fabius Bile|or allies of Chaos]]) to further their own ends.

* While the Necrontyr had religions before certain [[C'tan|star entities]] [[Necrons|roboticizied them]], those aren't fleshed out or detailed. Its also heavily implied the C'tan co-opted the Necrontyr religion beforehand. With the change to Necrons taking the higher though processes of most of them, any Necrons who can comprehend faith and religiosity either worship the C'tan or have become irreligious.

* The Tyranids themselves are irreligious, being spehss bugs and all, but understand at least a few of the advantages of religion. [[Genestealer]]s infect people and together they establish cults on targeted worlds, such as one worshipping "Children of the Stars", a perversion of the Imperial Cult (such as one that worships a [[Swarmlord|four-armed]] version of the Emperor) or something else like "Celebrants of Nihilism" (yes, that's a canon Genestealer cult name). Psychic influence is often involved and, notably, the Genestealers do not consider themselves gods. Once the Tyranids arrive en-masse, the cult-gets assimilated along with all non-Tyranids willingly or not. An interesting tidbit is that the Hive Mind stops the Tyranids from attacking the cultists in early stages of the invasion and leads them on, only to later override the Genestealers' wills and and make them slaughter the cultists.

===Dungeons and Dragons===
* Among Dungeons and Dragons settings, [[Planescape]], [[Eberron]], and [[Pathfinder]] are notable for having some coherent things that could be called "Religions", rather then the usual generic Pantheism.
** Most of Planescape's Factions effectively count as religions, to the point they can produce [[Cleric]]s ([[Planescape: Torment#Fall-From-Grace|Atheist ones at that]]). Yes, even the Athar. (Perhaps ''especially'' the Athar.)
** Half of Eberron's religions aren't worship of deities. The [[Blood of Vol]] seeks to unlock the divinity within one's self and rejects the gods (if they even exist) and the [[Path of Inspiration]] seeks to improve their next reincarnation. The Undying Court worships not gods but their undead ancestors that make up their government. The [[Path of Light]], [[Warforged_Mysteries#The_Becoming_God|Becoming God]] and [[Warforged_Mysteries#The_Reforged|Reforged]] all seek to ''create'' a deity. Even some interpretations of the [[Sovereign Host]], like the one most common among dragons, don't worship them as deities. Due to the way divine casting works in Eberron, all of these can produce divine casters.
** There's a handful of religions on [[Golarion]] that aren't merely worship of pantheons. The most prominent (read: Actually has mechanical support) is the [[Prophecies of Kalistrade]], which is basically fantasy [[Star Trek|Ferengi]].

* [[D20 Modern]]'s [[Urban Arcana]], unusually for urban fantasy, has D&D deities bleed into reality alongside the monsters. You are still able to play a <s>cleric</s> "acolyte" of any real world deity despite this.

===Star Wars===
* [[Star Wars]] is inconsistent on if the [[The Force]] is a religion. The Jedi and the Sith ''could'' both be considered religions as they are considered monastic, but mix in several other traits such as being meritocratic (Jedi) and kraterocratic (Sith) and Lucas himself has axed at least one prototyped book for portraying them too much as a religion. On the other hand, there's the Imperial officer in ''"A New Hope"'' who disses Vader's ways as "sad devotion to ancient religion", only to get [[Meme|chided for his lack of faith with a Force choke]]. It's also notable that the Sith were former Jedi who left the Jedi path for several reasons including [[Heresy|disagreements over the teachings of that creed]]. Aside from that, religion is nearly always a non-human tradition, something noted in a culture's historical background and never seen implying its extinction, or a scam. The religiously linked "damn" and "hell" are the two real world swear words that exist in-universe, purely because Han Solo used them in the films, and some concept of an "angel" exists because a young Anakin told Padme about them in the prequel trilogy films.
** There are rare exceptions where a religion is fleshed out and explored, and the writing goes various directions for better or worse. A notable example is the aggressive polytheistic religion of the antagonistic Yuuzhan Vong from the EU (which the story gradually revealed was long ago perverted from benevolent roots, and this perverted form takes a few cues from Islam and Aztec mythology).

===Star Trek===
* Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry had a low opinion of religion and in his vision humanity had done away with it and was better off for it and he had no interest in adding it to the aliens. However, some of the cast and crew disagreed and occasionally references and religions found their way into the show, which increased after Roddenberry's death. The Federation's culture is distinctly humanistic (extending the concept to alien species) in it's outlook in which religion is regarded as a thing of the past.
** While there are plenty of "Godlike" entities in Star Trek, almost all are treated as Sufficiently Advanced Aliens in the Arthur C. Clarke sense--and in particular, in ST:TNG, the flip side, that Picard and his crew are frequently shown to look like Gods to sufficiently primitive aliens, is gone into in more than one episode.
** The primary religion of the Federations main frenemies, the Klingons, is a deistic religion where a Klingon warrior killed their gods, and in their belief Klingons who live according to those tenants get to live in a pseudo-Valhalla.
** The Bajorans are a highly religious alien race, with the majority following peaceful teachings and a minority of violent extremists.
*** Of some note, the Bajoran religion is of interest because their "Gods" actually exist, and can be (somewhat incomprehensibly) talked to (a rarity outside of [[Science Fantasy]]). In other words, they were frequently a method of having some religion vs. science debates where the divine entity (A) explicitly exists, (B) is explainable as "sufficiently advanced and unusual aliens", and (C) aren't jerks, just bad at communication with those of us who experience time linearly--in other words, with a deck that wasn't quite as badly stacked. The religiosity was meant to be as a way of contrasting the Starfleet personnel with the native population and to draw a parallel between Bajorans under the Cardassian Occupation and various real world recently freed oppressed religious-slash-ethnic groups.
** <s>In the fifth Star Trek movie, ''"The Final Frontier"'', some of the crew steal the Enterprise to look for God and instead find a powerful alien being impersonating God in the center of the universe</s> '''Just like there is no live-action movie of Avatar: The Last Airbender, there is totally no Star Trek 5!'''

===World of Darkness===
* Very large books could be written about religion and [[World of Darkness]]/Chronicles of Darkness. We'll just cover a few highlights:
** From [[Vampire: The Requiem]], there's the the Lancea et Sanctum, which might be best described as "Christianity for Vampires", and the Circle of the Crone, which is "Pagan Vampires". Both have Vampire miracles on tap (pun intended).
** [[Hunter: The Vigil]] has various religious organizations among the Compacts and Conspiracies, some very similar to real world ones, others...not so much.
** [[Mage: The Ascension]] has various religious Traditions, portrayed in that highly-stereotypical and highly-depending-on-the-author way typical of old WoD.

==See also==
* [[Mythology]]
* [[True Faith]], a common mechanic to weaponize religion in [[Urban Fantasy]].

[[Category:Not related]]
[[Category:History]]

Magical realm

2020-10-26T08:53:46Z

2406:3400:20F:FFC0:1C9F:B1D1:F985:39CC: /* See Also */

[[File:Magical realm.png|200px|thumb|left|Well, do you?]]
[[File:The Whizzard.png|200px|thumb|right|The original comic.]]
An individual's '''Magical Realm''' is the domain of their sexual fetishes, especially in relation to [[roleplaying game]]s. When a game starts developing or introducing elements of the player or [[GM]]'s fetishes, either accidentally or deliberately, it is said to be entering their ''magical realm''.

The origin of the phrase is the skit "[http://gunshowcomic.com/471 Piss World]" from KC Green's webcomic ''Gunshow'', where the players of a tabletop RPG react violently to their GM repeatedly trying to get them to play to his urine fetish. A panel has an [[NPC]] (presumably a [[DMPC]]) called the "Whizzard" asks "Dare you enter my magical realm?" The skit ends with the players [[RAGE|punching him out]]. Amusingly, the "Whizzard" looks a bit like [[Ed Greenwood]], who is notorious for doing this in his writings, and his personal Magical Realm self-insert [[Elminster]].

When the phrase "Magical Realm" is used to describe a work (usually a setting or adventure module), the implication is that the author either let their fetishes bleed into the work sufficiently to make it ''very'' obvious what gets them off, or even created the work entirely for the sole purpose of sexual gratification without explicitly saying so. Bonus points if they insist otherwise despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary.

Similarly, it is possible for a player or DM to try and force their magical realm onto a setting by acting upon their fetishes, or having particular reactions to something as mundane as, say, [[lizardfolk]]. A more basic version is simply hitting on every tavern wench from [[Golarion|Mendev to Absalom]] in an attempt to get laid in a way that the player cannot in real life. This is considered [[That Guy|bad form]] because it puts the gratification of their fetish before the fun of the rest of the group. A DM who habitually forces his Magical Realm upon the players is called a [[/d/M]].

==Drawing the Line==

It is inevitable that DM's being DM's, storytellers, will let their desires and loves bleed into a narrative without trying to get off. A horse loving DM may not constantly pump centaurs with big dicks or beautiful female bodies, but he will very likely pay great attention to mount mechanics and try to sneak in a centaur character or two to the game, or in the very least, make many horse references. These are not the DM's that have a magical realm. A [[/d/M]] is someone who ''only'' dotes on the concepts that get him (let's be honest, they are almost always male) off, and try to draw other players to appreciate his fetishes via quests and requests. (see the piss comic above)

On the other side of the "published author" line, one of the problems with defining "magical realm" is that, sometimes, legitimate aspects of the setting can sound really, really fucked up when discussed casually.

Due to many cases of both, a lot of threads about magical realms on /tg/ are anons trying to find the precise line when something goes from "fantastical" to "perverse". As with debates regarding furries, [[beastfolk]] [[Furry#Monstergirls_vs._Furries|and monstergirls]], the primary keys are context, context, context, and the sanity with which the concept is approached. Intent also goes a long way, naturally: the DM might describe a sewer's horrible smell in-depth not because he's a fart fetishist, but because he wants to improve the group's immersion and not have the characters jump in the sludge without a care.

For a specific example, take [[Empire of the Petal Throne]], in which one of the potential PC races are the ''Mihalli'': shapeshifting alien [[wizard]]s whose "default" form is [[furry|a humanoid lion with 4-6 breasts]] and who are reputed to be [[dickgirl|hermaphroditic]]. And, to be honest, "multi-tittied herm lioness wizard" sounds like [[Chakat|something straight out of a stereotypical furry's magical realm...]] but here they are treated as just an ordinary, mundane aspect of life on Tekumel.

A quick comparison to the other races of the setting makes it clear that the hermaphrodite thing is just a case of contextually appropriate weirdness (assuming it's even true, given the Mihalli's reproductive practices aren't exactly documented): all the non-human PC races are similarly strange in one way or another. One species faces four directions at once and has eight biological sexes (and funnily enough, their reproduction methods aren't well know to outsiders, either); another has members who resemble glass sculptures and act as a eusocial hivemind. The Mihalli are almost certainly intended to be aliens that actually '''feel''' alien, and are neither [[Star Trek|aliens whose only difference from a stock human is that they have funny ridges on their foreheads]], nor aliens whose shtick is [[Chakat|summarized by the phrase "they're like that because It Gets Me Off™"]] -- in particular, they lack the usual [[Mary Sue]] bullshit that is a distinguishing feature of the latter. For example, the main reason they're a minor race? They lost a large scale war against the humans when their capital city got nuked, resulting in them having to flee into the shadows.

==See Also==
* [[Forgotten Realms]], the original Magical Realm of [[Ed Greenwood]]. It seems tame today, but back in the days it had good-aligned life/agriculture deities blessing married couples having sex in the fields, rampant bisexuality, rampant incest (okay, that one turns people away even today) and lots of NSFW festivals.
* [[Monster Girl Encyclopedia]], for an example of a setting that qualifies and isn't ''mindbogglingly'' awful, but still plenty [[skub]]by beyond that to put it very generously. Fans usually make tamer spin-offs.
* [[FATAL]], for an example of a game system that qualifies, and '''''is''''' mindbogglingly awful.
* [[Book of Erotic Fantasy]], for an example of a work that doesn't probably quite qualify as a "magical realm", for reasons of being too openly and explicitly about sex.
* [[Maid RPG]], for an example of a self-aware Magical Realm.
* [[Wraeththu RPG]], for an example of a work that qualifies as a Magical Realm twice over, being one reader's Magical Realm RPG version of an already existing Magical Realm series of novels, and an excellent example of what happens when you go two Magical Realms deep, i.e. sheer horror.
* [[Magical Realm CYOA]], a popular CYOA that can be overlapped with the /tg/ meaning of "Magical Realm", but also can just be taken in a non-sexualised direction.
* [[FAPP]], a furry tabletop game about what happens when the magical realm enters ''you''.
* [[CthulhuTech]], for its copious uses of raep and romance railroading in its adventures (read: getting raped by furries), along with the uber hedonistic society of the NEG. Still, NEG enacts these things out of necessity, whatever takes off your mind of risks of being mindraped and soul-annihilated by eldritch horrors of Lovecraft.
* Anything by Chris A. Field, particularly [[Black Tokyo]].
* [[Lamentations of the Flame Princess]]. The original author has a very creepy obsession with putting cannibalism and other disturbing sex content into all his books.

==Gallery==
<center>
<gallery>
File:The Whizzard Indulged.jpg|What a [[/d/M]]s goal is when introducing the Magical Realm.
File:DemonicFortress.png|[[Rogal Dorn]] dared. But then again, he's a [[Imperial Fists|masochist]] like that.
File:Sorcerers and Spermlords The mundane reality.jpg|A Magical Realm in action. Note the [[/d/M]], complete with a quote from the original comic.
File:Transcendent One's Realm.png
</gallery>
</center>

[[Category:Roleplaying]][[Category:Gamer Slang]][[Category:Meme]]

Forgotten Realms

2020-10-26T08:47:34Z

2406:3400:20F:FFC0:1C9F:B1D1:F985:39CC: /* Forgotten Realms And Sex */

[[Image:3EFRlogo.gif|center]]
'''Forgotten Realms''' is an official [[Dungeons & Dragons Campaign Settings|Dungeons and Dragons campaign setting]] created by [[Ed Greenwood]] circa 1967 for his little stories, but was not part of the official [[TSR Games]]/[[Wizards of the Coast]] lineup until 1987 and has since been supported by TSR/WotC through all five editions of the game. The setting is supported by hundreds of novels' worth of lore by dozens of authors, and is notable for prominently featuring the [[Planetouched]].

==Setting==
[[File:Toril-3e.jpg|thumb|right|400px|Deja vu, I've been in this place before..]]
Set on the planet Abeir-Toril, most of the Forgotten Realms source material focuses on the continent Faerûn. Faerûn is pretty similar to pre-industrial Europe, with the exceptions of all of that crazy fantasy stuff. At the low end, Wizards and Sorcerers make up 1% of the typical human population, and half of them are actually good at it. It seems to think that's a small number, despite being substantially more than MDs in the modern world (0.29%), most of whom are in very niche specialties. Multiple Clerics, "often" mid-level, can be found "in virtually every thorp and hamlet" and are common enough people tend to die of old age, not injury their body can longer heal naturally, or disease. Despite a serious percentage of the population being casters, many of some skill, outside of Thay none of them do anything but maintain the status quo, try to violently conquer the world, or violently put an end to those trying to conquer the world.

There is a plethora of nations, kingdoms, organizations, deities, and fully fleshed out NPCs who are ripe with political intrigue and conflict. There is absolutely nothing on Toril that has not been fully fleshed out, so there is very, very little room for your own stuff.

Even WoTC thought that this had gotten really out of hand: when 4th edition rolled along, they decided to give the place a reboot. Hey, the Time of Troubles worked for the 1e-to-2e shift, right? They came up with the idea of "the Spellplague": killing [[Mystra]] off through the machinations of her long-time enemy [[Cyric]] and triggering another massive magical upheaval, similar to the one that had ended the Age of Magic when Mystryl had been killed off. They then skipped time forward a century, to add icing to the cake, presenting a rebuilding world and retconning Abeir-Toril from being the planet's almost never used full name (so it'd be first in the setting encyclopedia) to to being twin planets, with Abeir, under the dominion of the [[Archomental|Primordials]], serving as an origin for 4th edition races.

Unfortunately... the result was an absolute PR ''nightmare''. The dramatic changes in everything from geology to cosmology, with the [[World Tree]] replaced by the [[World Axis]], just infuriated the setting's fandom, who have something of a reputation as obsessive-compulsive [[grognard]]s even by the standards of the D&D fandom.

Not surprisingly, when the edition change rolled out, a new apocalyptic makeover, the Sundering, was used alongside a 10 year skip to change things more back to the way they were. Although, on the plus side, a lot of the uber-NPCs who didn't have huge fanbases actually stayed dead - they even killed off some more of Mystra's Chosen during the Sundering.

All in all, Forgotten Realms is the ultimate [[skub]] setting of D&D, with people still bitching over every little change from 1st edition onwards. Yes, even more than 2e/3e [[Greyhawk]]: at least there, the grognards enjoy a consensus, that what ''[[From The Ashes]]'' did was a blip, a Late Unpleasantness in the past. Ironically, 5e's attempt at focusing attention on the Realms has begun making it even less popular, as by this point most of the fandom is getting well and truly sick that one setting is getting all the 5e love.

You'll notice going down that a lot of the sub-settings in particular seem to rip-off of real-world places and people. Well, that's intentional: Forgotten Realms was designed with the idea that it has long had secret portals to our real world throughout history - which may or may not have anything to do with the D&D Cartoon. So, a lot of shit in Forgotten Realms is literally supposed to have either been brought there from earth, or inspired earth by slipping through the portals. Mulhorand, for example, is not only "Ancient Egypt in D&D with the Egyptian Gods ruling it", but is by its fluff actually populated ''by'' the descendants of Ancient Egyptians who were sucked through portals into the Realms and enslaved by evil wizards.

===Faerûn===
Medieval/Renaissance Europe/Near East/Africa. The setting of the vast majority of D&D stories, including those of a certain dark elf, to top it all off with the center of attention in D&D videogames to boot. This setting provided inspiration for most of the 3e [[splatbook|splatbooks]]. Most of the attention Faerûn gets is centered on its west coast, the Swordcoast and Dalelands.

====Shining South====
Pseudo-Africa and Pseudo-India, in that it's mostly covered in tropical jungles and swamps, with one huge-ass desert. Notable regions include Halruaa, an isolationist [[magocracy]], Dambrath, a nation of horse-riding, [[Loviatar]]-worshipping black [[amazons]] (of the "women run things, men obey" variety) ruled over the by Crinti (a matriarchal mixture of [[half-elves]], [[drow]], and half-drow), and the [[halfling]] homeland of Luiren. Is home to Faerun's native population of [[thri-kreen]], as well as a race of [[spelljammer|alien]] [[beastfolk|elephant people]] called [[Loxo]]s.

Despite the Shining South's lack of any major influence or pronounced interaction with the rest of the Forgotten Realms, the damage this regions suffered as a result of the [[Spellplague]] - which, amongst other things, saw Halruaa blow up and Dambrath's Crinti rulers be deposed by a human uprising that brought about a restoration of their pre-Crinti culture - was hugely unpopular. Some of that is inexplicable - Halruaa blowing up makes perfect sense, since the place was literally as magical as [[Eberron]] and the Spellplague's whole thing was making magic dangerously unstable - but other complaints are more reasonable; if such an "old ways" movement against the Crinti had ever been explicitly mentioned in 3e or 2e lore, Dambrath's civil uprising would have made sense - especially in light of the baked-in drow tendency towards slave raids - but with no explicit pretext, it seemingly comes out of nowhere.

====Unapproachable East====
Eastern Asia, a blend of Mongolian, Russian, Indian and Chinese traits. Most famous for being the lands covering Thay, the biggest civilization of evil wizards in the setting, and the more obscure land of Rasheman, which is sort of Russian berserker country ruled by masked witches but which everyone knows because it's the homeland of [[Minsc]]. It's the setting for ''Mask of the Betrayer'', the first expansion pack for ''Neverwinter Nights 2'', since they decided to set a Forgotten Realms video game somewhere interesting for once.

===[[The Horde|Hordelands]]===
The Eurasian Steppes, with Tibet thrown in as well, and yes they had their own version of [[Genghis motherfucking Khan]] and mongol invasions. Didn't get updated for [[3e]], but bits got included in a Dragon article for 4e.

===[[Kara-Tur]]===
Ancient China/Japan/Korea. Updated for 3e with the ''[[Weeaboo Fightan Magic|Book of Weeaboo Fightan Magic]]'' and ''Oriental Adventures'', but never updated for 4e as a setting. Little bits of it was included in Dragon for 4e, covering [[Weeaboo|Samurai and Ninja]] and horde themes as well as new monk stuff and [[Hengeyokai]] as a race.

====Malatra====
Ancient India/Southeast Asia. Got its own living campaign at the end of [[2e]] and the beginning of 3e, and was soon forgotten afterwards.

===[[Maztica]]===
Pre-Columbian South/Central America, the subject of the eponymous splatbook for AD&D. Was not updated for [[3e|3rd Edition]], but skipped a generation and got an update for [[4e|4th Edition]]. In the form of being replaced by the continent of Abeir and having everything about it shunted into another universe. Wasn't in [[3e]] either so fuck them. Manages to be the skubbiest aspect of the setting; some adore it for being South American Fantasy, a rare thing, others hate it for being so transparently "the Aztec world shunted into the Forgotten Realms". Some madlads at the [[DM's_Guild|DM's Guild]] went and wrote a full translation to [[5e|5th Edition]] with a "the Aztec world shunted into the Forgotten Realms, but this time the Aztecs won and gave [[Lolth]] and to a lesser extent [[Helm]] the finger before integrating the surviving colonists" feeling. Also they're back where Abeir used to be because why the fuck not.

====[[Anchorome]]====
Pre-Columbian North America. What's written about is based on the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancestral_Puebloans Native Americans of the Four Corners] cultures.

====Katashaka====
Despite being located south of not!Central America, it's supposed to be based on Pre-Colonial Africa, and that is literally all that is known.

===Osse===
Pre-Colonial Australia. That's largely all that's known.

===[[Al-Qadim|Zakhara]]===
Medieval Middle East/Hollywood Arabia. Left to hang in the wind after 2e ended, save some 3e articles in [[Dragon Magazine]], and probably not likely to come back any time soon. But 5e did bring back the yakmen.

===Abeir===
Home to the [[Dragonborn]] and primordial elementals, as well as all the new sub-giant races and whatever else was introduced in 4e. Ruled over by evil draconic overlords, barring a few kingdoms founded by rebellious giants and humans. Oh, and some weird undead empire that has magical undead-only portals connecting to all graveyards and mausoleums and crypts on Toril, which they claim as their territory.

==Abridged History==
===Creation===
[[Ao]] creates the twin sister deities [[Shar]] and [[Selûne]]. Shar is darkity darkness levels of evil and Selûne isn't. So naturally they hate each other. They swirl around in the void that is Realmspace for gods know how long until via catfighting, they accidentally create Toril and create a couple of gods, mainly [[Chauntea]] and [[Mystryl]]. The latter going on to die several times and become [[Mystra]] because she couldn't fucking balance the byproduct of her creation, the Weave, which is the source of all magic, both Arcane and Divine. Things just got out of hand after that and next thing you know, you've got your campaign setting.

===Karsus's Folly===
In -339 DR an archwizard named [[Karsus]] attempts to save the Netheril Empire by making the only 12th level spell in existence- presumably. The spell robbbed Mystryl of her powers and magic for a short time and was really awesome, but then magic goes wild because a fucking epic-level caster does not equate to a level-uncapped deity that handles fucking magic everywhere. In short Karsus ruined everything for everybody on that day. Lucky Mystryl was there to sacrifice herself and put all of her powers into a young female wizard and rose again as Mystra. Marking the first in the goddess's long line of deaths and rebirths. This sparked all the shit that went down in the game [[Neverwinter Nights]] 2, and is the reason why Magic sort of meets a cap.

===Times of Troubles===
The Times of Troubles, also known as the Avatar Crisis, started in 1358 DR when the two deities [[Bane]] and [[Myrkul]] thought it would be a great idea to steal the Tablets of Fate from the overdeity Ao. As punishment Ao banishes all of the gods to walk on Toril as mortals (except for [[Helm]] who was to guard the gateway back into the heavens) until whoever stole them felt bad and returned them. During this time Mystra got some of her power back and thought it would be a brilliant idea to challenge Helm to get back into the heavens. Helm wouldn't have any of it and and bitch slapped her down the Celestial Stairway. She hit the bottom and died in an explosion of magic. Eventually some mortals, Midnight (who went on to be the next Mystra), [[Kelemvor]], [[Cyric]], and Adon of Sune, fixed everything and they got be gods for a reward. Except for Adon of Sune, he really got the short end of the stick on the loot table for that encounter. He lost faith in Mystra, committed suicide, then got his faith back and went on to frolic in the brothel in the sky. This signaled the change from AD&D 1e to the second edition and magic changed in real time in correspondence to these events, depicted in the canon Forgotten Realms Comic book series, featuring Bruce Campell as an Ex-drug addict halfling, an ex-alcoholic Paladin, an Elf with expressions that would put the Laughing elf to shame, a hot golem, and other goodies.

===The Spellplague===
In 1385 DR the goddess Shar had the god Cyric stab the goddess of magic Mystra. This caused giant pillars of blue fire to ravage Toril, killing untold masses and driving most wizards to madness. One of the few wizards to be unaffected by the event is Szass Tam, who continues to be a badass by turning into an uber-powerful [[lich]], seizing control over Thay, and killing off almost everybody there to create a fuck-huge kingdom of the undead. To make matters worse, unlike the previous times Mystra has died she couldn't reincarnate, a stunning development that "changes the rules of magic" which translates as another real-time spell-casting change for [[4e]] rules, just like what happened in the Time of Trouble. Parts of the planet end up either destroyed or switching places with parts of the land from Abeir. [[Elminster]] lost his special status and all his powers, and most of his Chosen buddies wound up dead. The Pantheon was reshuffled, tieflings changed to match the new unified tiefling look, and the [[World Tree]] was reshaped into the [[World Axis]]. It was a huge upheaval, with insurmountable [[rage]] from its critics.

===The Sundering===
In 1485, the worlds of Abeir and Toril split apart again, as WoTC tried to desperately bring back the Faerun grognards by [[retcon|retconning]] the Spellplague. It turns out being stabbed wasn't in fact enough to kill Mystra, she was just hungry and had wandered off to find a cheeseburger made of her own children. Abeir went back to where it belonged and several other dead gods who were deemed superfluous suddenly came back to life.

This event was known as the 'Sundering' but the writers didn't want to piss off the fans, so they held off explaining what the fuck happened until the fans could tell them what, in their opinion, should have happened. While waiting to be told how to do their jobs, dragons attacked everyone, trying to rescue [[Tiamat]] from [[Baator|Hell]] where she had in fact NOT been since before the Spellplague but because she was there in every other setting, we're all supposed to pretend that she was, so mighty adventurers can stop her from escaping in a linear story which was easier than the likes of the first time this asspull was pulled with Bloodstone Pass, Fuck you Bahamut.

From there, various other intersecting adventure modules happened at roughly the same time, and since things were mostly back to the pre-4e days everyone was happy. Except [[dragonborn]] fans (and dragonborn, whatever you think of them, are still a damn core race), as the writers quickly killed almost all of them off, or crammed them into a tiny corner of the world. None the less, many grognards still balk at the return of several 4th edition era elements, such as cramming the [[Shadowfell]] and the [[Feywild]] in the Great Wheel. But, appeasing the old guard is ridiculously hard anyway. As much as the old guard want a full reboot back to the Old Gray Box era (or some other era which can't be agreed on), the Sundering made it pretty clear that there is "One Canon, One Story, One Realms". Given the popularity of this new Realms among new players, it's unlikely that any major reboot or alteration will happen any time soon.

==The Appeal of Forgotten Realms==
In 1975 Sony released the Betamax video cassette system as a system of playing recorded TV shows and similar on your TV. A year later JCV released the first VHS system and there was a competition between these two formats. Both of these systems had their pros and cons comparatively with Betamax having among other benefits higher image quality. But ultimately VHS won the competition, mostly because it was more accessible to consumers and movie studios and as such established itself as the standard. Everyone had a VHS VCR, so everyone was buying VHS tapes and since everyone was buying VHS tapes people bought VHS VRCs and similar until DVDs and Blu Rays showed up.

Similarly, Dungeons and Dragons has become the standard for what people think of when someone brings up a tabletop RPG and Forgotten Realms has become that for the DnD setting. People may not have read the lore books 100% through but nowadays most people could imagine the broad strokes of the setting going in. Parties of Human Bards and Paladins, Dwarf Warriors, High Elven Mages, Wood Elven Archers and Halfling Rogues and Bards wandering the countryside and delving dungeons dealing with orcs, kobolds, bandits, beholders, skellingtons, necromancers and various monsters leading up to the many flavors of dragons. When you see someone doing a tabletop campaign in fiction, it's usually based on Forgotten Realms more often than not. For better or worse, Forgotten Realms is the Archetype. It's the thing that most people are familiar with and as such is something which is easy for a tabletop group to get into. You may think the whole Tolkien Knockoff world thing is overdone. You may desire something with fresh ideas in a novel setting built largely from the ground up. But the ability to get into a familiar setting without having to look through a whole bunch of homework has its charm.

==Interesting Side Notes==
*[[Drizzt]] will outlive all of his friends and he cries about this often until they fixed it.
*There was a time Drizzt was bearable, until all of his adventures amounted to the power of friendship and his magical power of secretly Lolth's blessing empowering him into a murderhobo edge lord that got so broken he BEAT FUCKING DEMOGORGON with the power of an anime power-up one shot asspull to SAVE THE UNDERDARK
*The Neverwinter Online scenario of this event had the Demon Prince smack him and his party straight into an Abyssal rift, after the generic shounen speech of the power of friendship which is a great way to retcon this entire event for a ranger beating a monster so hard to kill based on how much it can throw at a party in summon-spam alone, nevermind the threat the creature itself actually poses.
*[[Elminster]] has sex with Elvira who is polymorphed into a man. He also was turned into a woman once, he's effectively, [[Heresy|a massive fucking degenerate]] that hasn't been killed off because plot Armour and horribly oppressive "good" organization of spies, scouts, and adventurers he tricks into doing his work for him, he also advertises Faerun as anything but a clusterfuck continent so full, it feels more like the description of the endless murderfest an MMORPG provides over an actual living setting.
*[[Szass Tam]] is fucking awesome and basically Ming the Merciless in D&D.
*[[Larloch]], Feared Master of the Warlock's Crypt, is one of the few statted NPCs representative of a finalized epic-level minmaxed PC wizard, with so much shit in his arsenal he ranks as a DMPC in his own right. He's also (with a little bit of Szass Tam) the inspiration for the character of Ainz Ooal Gown from [[Approved anime|Overlord.]]
*[[Tempus]], the badass bro jock god of battle.
*The world goes to hell in the [[Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition|4th edition]].
*After apparently being killed by one of his only friends, the god Helm survived the Spellplague in the form of a goat.
*The first 3-D CRPG was set in FR.
*[[This Guy|Jarlaxle the dashing drow mercenary]] had a [[Monstergirls|three way with twin copper dragon sisters]] named Tazmikella and Ilnezhra.
*Khelben Blackstaff has a fear of Lawyers and will do ANYTHING in his powers to avoid them, even resorting to elaborate illusions of unwanted marital scenarios to avoid lawsuits from extraplanar entities (I am not making this up)
*The setting is so high magic that even before the current established era in 3.5 and onward, even back in Ancient Netheril, there were FUCKING LICHES EVERYWHERE.
*The God of Vampires does not give a fuck, do not try to make him, he will just try to eat you and fuck with you on his layer of the Abyss.
*His high priest fucks Lolth, and this is the reason why Drow like vampires so much
*The last time a vampire gave a shit in FR, he nearly conquered Baldur's Gate itself solo, but got his ass kicked because he went ahead of a forty-thousand undead strong army with a macguffin that literally made him an Elder Evil, by technicality of demigod level strength which would have been even more broken anyway as he was a base vampire + vampire Lord
*[[Minsc]] was petrified, turned into stone, and kept preserved until [[Wizards of the Coast|marketing]] would call upon him again for a lackluster comic book series that is only good for shilling 5th edition products as bad as Neverwinter Online and [[Baldur%27s_Gate_(Games)#Siege_of_Dragonspear|Siege of Dragonspear]].

==Forgotten Realms And Sex==
The current Forgotten Realms material is highly sanitized from Ed's original vision. In FR as created by Ed:

*Bi-sexuality is normal (and yes, this means the [[Elf|men]] as well as the [[Amazon|women]])
*Transgenderism is encouraged by several deities so that priests can experience life as the other sex
*"Revels" (some of which involve sex) are normal
*"Festhalls" (many of which employ prostitutes as staff) are are relatively common and visiting them is normal way to spend evening.
*Prostitution is a core industry of Forgotten Realms; "sex workers" are all over and there are about 40 different names for different kinds of prostitutes.
*Incest is normal way for noble families to "indulge feelings of mutual affection" (poor people don't as they can't afford the contraception)
*Pretty much all of the immortal NPCs in the Realms have come to believe that accepted sexual norms are bullshit, so they flout them. Constantly

All of this is confirmed by [[Ed Greenwood]] himself, from Ed's responses to fan queries on the Candlekeep forum.
[http://www.candlekeep.com/library/articles/sse/so_saith_ed.htm So Saith Ed here,] [https://pastebin.com/hEVadYsN here,] [https://pastebin.com/1MuQ6wFt and here.] It's also all completely, 100% canon thanks to Ed's ludicrously favorable contract.

Of course, this isn't exactly out of place in certain historical periods and cultures (Per example the Greeks, the Etruscans, were particularly known for having frequent orgies and the nobility of many cultures like Hawaiians and the Ptolemy Egyptians practiced sibling incest so as to avoid muddling the bloodline with peasant genome; Rome had all of the above at various points), so some individual cultures or nations with this going on probably wouldn't be off the mark... but when the whole damn world is into this stuff, it's not treated as a problem, no one questions it and there's no sign of things changing, then clearly the author has something on his mind.

In short, the Forgotten Realms are [[Ed Greenwood]]'s [[magical realm]] cleaned up by [[TSR]] and later [[Hasbro]] for general consumption, and the Romantic Encounters mod for [[Baldur's_Gate_(Games)|Baldur's Gate]] is probably canon.

{{editwar}}

As of 5E, WoTC has decided to embrace the first bullet-point, there's random bits of homosexuality everywhere. Two men sharing a bed, a married pair of male porters and married pair of homesteaders, a gnome settlement with two kings, and a shopkeeper with nonbinary pronouns all appear in 5e adventures ([[SJW|three guesses why]]). An attempt to [[Retcon]] the massively corrupt and crime ridden city of Waterdeep into "Seattle during Pride" was actually met with significant backlash.

No regular orgies in every village yet, but Rime of the Frostmaiden does feature a completely inbred town.

{{D&D-Settings}}

[[Category:Forgotten Realms]]