Editing Warhammer Magic (section)

==Uncommon Lores of Magic==

===[[Qhaysh]]: all eight winds woven together, Lore of High Magic===

Previously a High Elf-only lore, it is now available to Wood Elves and Lizardmen also. It is a nice, balanced lore, with enough support, defense and damage spells.
Notably, it has separate attributes for each race and it has two signature spells (you can choose either or both).

* ''High Elf Lore Attribute:'' '''Shield of Saphery:''' Successful High Magic spell casts grant the wizards and his unit +1 to ward save (caps at 3+). Stacking. Stick a mage into a phoenix guard unit and they will never die.
* ''Wood Elf Lore Attribute:'' '''Ancients' Protection:''' Successful High Magic spell casts grant the wizard's units a protection token. When an unsaved wound is taken by the unit (or wizard), discard the token to prevent that wound. It's like proactive Life attribute!
* ''Lizardmen Lore Attribute:'' '''Contemplation:''' Successful High Magic spell casts allow the wizard to forget the spell he just cast and roll for a new spell from any allowed lore (including High Magic; yeah, he can just pick a signature instead). Very interesting and versatile option. You can start with High Magic Loremaster and quickly learn all the cool signature spells you want!
*'''Drain Magic:''' The first signature spell. An interesting spell. It dispels all active spell effects from the target unit (friend or foe) and can be boosted into a bubble. Pretty nice against high-cost spells, which are hard to dispel conventionally or to clear away the mess that Shadow wizard dumped upon your elite unit.
*'''Soul Quench:''' The second signature spell. A most basic magic missile, 2d6 S4 hit, but can be boosted to 4d6 S4 hits, which should cause some concern for your target.
*'''Apotheosis:''' Now we're talking. Restores 1 wound to the target (d3 wounds if boosted) and is extremely cheap (even when boosted). Also grants the target Fear, but who cares about that?
*'''Hand of Glory:''' Basically, reversed Melkoth's Mistifying Miasma. Boosts WS/BS/M/I or all four by d3. Nice, cheap, etc.
*'''Walk Between Worlds:''' The target gains Ethereal and may immediately move 10 (20, boosted) inches. Not the worst spell ever, but overshadowed by almost everything here.
*'''Tempest:''' Large round template, S3 hit, S4 against fliers, scatters d6 inches. Also, the target gains -1 to hit with all attacks and template weapons need a 4+ roll. Not bad, though nothing special.
*'''Arcane Unforging:''' Wounds like Lore of Metal spells (roll on armor save), hits a single model, causing single wound. What is best, if it hits, one of target's magic items is randomly destroyed on a roll of 2+!!! Ghal'maraz, Banner of the World Dragon (if the initial hit gets through the ward save, that is), Armour of Destiny, any of Archaon's or Teclis's gimmicks - anything!
*'''Fiery Convocation:''' If you thinks you've seen horde-killing spells already, think agains. This beauty (or horror, depending on your perspective) causes a S4 flaming hit on ''every. single. fcking. model. in the target unit.'' And it will hit again at the end of ''every. single. fcking. magic phase'', until dispelled- and it has a pretty steep casting value, so your opponent's gonna be using a few dice. Cast it at the unit of Skavenslaves or Goblins and make sure that person will never ever play against you again.

===[[Dhar]], the raw Wind of Magic, Lore of Dark Magic===
Technically, it is the same magic Vampires use in their lore, but different spells. Skaven also use it to combine to create some of their lores of magic as well, such as the Lore of Stealth. 
Despite the fact it has two hexes and even an augment, this lore has just one purpose - to blast the almighty freaking crap out of anything and everything.
Once it was only available to Dark Elves, but now Wood Elves learned it too. Like High Magic, it too has separate lore attributes and two signature spells.

* ''Dark Elf Lore Attribute:'' '''Spiteful Conjuration:''' Successful Dark Magic spellcasts cause 2d6 or 3d6 bonus S1 hits to the enemy target if the casting roll contained any doubles or triples. Not bad. More damage is always nice.
* ''Wood Elf Lore Attribute:'' '''Wrath of the Wood:''' Successful Dark Magic spellcasts put a vengeance token on the target. Damaging Dark Magic spells cast at the target consume these tokens to increase number of hits inflicted by d3. Not only does it simply boost damage, it also acts a sort of deterrent - the enemy may think twice before moving his precious elite unit with vengeance counter into your wizard's range.
*'''Power of Darkness:''' The first signature spell. Awesome name, awesome effect. First of all, it grants the mage and his unit +1S, which is just a fluffy bonus - what the hell is your mage doing in melee? (although it may be nice with Sisters of the Thorn and their javelins). Secondly, it generates d3 dice. If 3 dice are generated, the wizard takes a wound with no armor save. Now, on levels 1-3 it ain't easy to cast it with 1 dice (casting value 8), but on level 4 it is always worth a try. It is always nice to get more dice <s>and get your sorceress killed</s>. Always take it on level 4 wizard.
*'''Doombolt:''' The second signature spell. Every magic missile's big brother. It deal 2d6 or 4d6 S5 (!) hits and is capable of wiping entire units outs. Pure DOOM! Though it ain't cheap for a signature.
*'''Chillwind:''' A weak (S2), cheap magic missile. Nice part is - it gives the target -1 to BS. Cast it with your last dice at those Waywatchers or Maiden Guard and laugh.
*'''Word of Pain:''' By Sigmar's balls, oh the horror! First of all, this cheap monstrosity gives the target -d3 to ''both'' BS and WS for 1 turn. Secondly, it can be boosted (for a minimal increase) to give -3 to S and I! It basically turns absolutely any killing machine into a hamster for 1 turn. And now imagine dropping elite unit's WS to 1 and then slapping them with Bladewind...
*'''Bladewind:''' Every model in the target unit must make a WS test or take S4 AP hit. Don't bother casting it at elves - use it on gobbos, slaves or undead and watch them get ripped to bloody shreds by a storm of flying swords.
*'''Shroud of Despair:''' Target of this hex cannot benefit from general's or BSB's bubble, and any leadership check it fails causes a -1 penalty Ld for 1 turn. Not brilliant, but cast it on greenskins or beastmen and watch the fun! (And no, Skaven don't care for their general so much, they get their LD from their ranks. They love BSB though...)
*'''Soulstealer:''' A small plate of S2 hits with no armor saves. Seems useless? Wait for the nice part. For every unsaved wound inflicted, this spell grants the wizard a wound on a roll of 4+, up to a maximum of 10. Now you can spam Power of Darkness all you want. In melee, if you want. Against enemies with multiple wound weapons, if you want. Vampires wish they were so immortal.
*'''Arnzipal's Black Horror:''' To quote another member here "''Oh baby. This thing is crazy. Like warpstone-laced cocaine.''" It is basically the Purple Sun from Lore of Death, with all the gimmicks - remains in play, moves randomly, etc. Starts with small template, can be boosted to large. There is one major difference with the Purple Sun. PSoX tests I, which has most variable values among different units. ABH tests Str, which has low variance (though few units have S lower than 3). Generally, ABH is more reliable.

===Lore of Undeath===
Introduced with Nagash and now oficially FAQ'd into BRB.

Spells in this lore all have pretty short range (12 inches). Summoning spells summon units from [[Warhammer/Tactics/8th_Edition/Undead_Legions|Undead Legions]]. Note that summoned units can take any upgrades listed in their army books (apparently, including any magic banners, magic items, mounts, etc.), but are still limited by unit size (no summoning 3 Blood Knights, for instance). Under new undead rules, there's no more crumbling from dead general, so summoned undead are safe. However, they have to be within 12" of the general to march (unless they're vampiric).

* ''Lore Attribute:'' '''Raising the Dead:''' Basically, every time you successfully cast a spell from lore of Undeath, you get a counter. When casting summoning spells from this lore, you can choose to consume any number of counters to increase the point value of the summon by 10.
*'''Ryze - the Grave Call:''' Cast on 9+, this spell summons a unit of infantry worth up to 50 points. Boosted version summon has a 100 point limit and requires 12+ to cast. Even more boosted version summons monstrous infantry, has 150 points limit and requires 16+ to cast.
*'''Morkharn - the Breath of Darkness:''' Cast on 6+, restores 1d3+1 wounds to the target undead unit and if its not in combat, it can make a normal move. Pretty nice spell to both replenish forces and provide mobility.
*'''Sulekhim - the Hand of Dust:''' Coming back from the dead (hah!), this spell is cast on 7+ and affects only the casting wizard. While under its effect, he can forgo making all of his attacks, instead making a single attacks, which automatically wounds if it hits, causing multiple wounds (1d6) with no armor saves allowed. If this spell kills a character in a challenge, the player gains 1d6 Raise Dead counter. Take it on high-WS vampire lord and watch the fun! You can even one-shot a Chaos Lord, if you are lucky!
*'''Khizaar - the Soul Stealer:''' Cast on 8+, this spell makes you roll 2d6+2 and compare the number to target's leadership. For every point the roll exceed the Ld, the target takes 1 wound with no armor saves allowed - this is basically Casket of Souls in spell form. If at least one wound is caused, you gain 1d3 counters for the lore attribute.  With low casting value, it easy way to ramp up some counters for summoning, though this is offset by its short range.
*'''Razkhar - the Abyssal Swarm:''' Cast on 10+, this spell summons 75 points worth of Warbeasts or Swarms. Boosted version summons Monstrous Beasts (only), has point limit of 150 and requires 16+ to cast.
*'''Kandorak - the Harbinger:''' Cast on 10+, this spell summons a character worth up to 65 points. Boosted version summons a single Monster, Chariot or Warmachine costing up to 200 points, requiring 24+ to cast.
*'''Akar'aran - the Dark Riders:''' Cast on 16+, this spell summons a unit of cavalry, monstrous cavalry or chariots, with a maximum cost of 150 points. Not boostable.

===Lore of [[Tzeentch]]===
The lore of the God of Hope. Followers of Tzeentch - both daemon and mortal - are able to harness spells from this lore, although each with different attributes. Despite Tzeentch's apparent inclination towards subtlety and planning, all but one spell from this lore is dedicated to devastating enemies with multicolor lightning bolts and brightly-hued firestorms. 

There are a few things to note about spells from this lore. All the damaging spells (i.e. magic missile and direct damage) have the Warpflame special rule. This rule causes a toughness test to be made on the unit a spell has wounded - if the unit fails, they take d3 wounds with no armor save; if they pass, they get a Regeneration save of 6+ or +1 to their existing Regeneration save. Keep in mind however, that you take a characteristic on the highest value within the unit, so be mindful of where you are aiming your Tzeentchian fires. Also, you take the Warpflame test ''at the end of the phase'' and not for each spell cast.

Warpflame is also not flaming, so it won't negate the regeneration you're giving your target.  This means that Tzeentchian damaging spells are generally best against smaller units that can be cleared out quickly or simply devastated past the point of usefulness rather than big blocks that can take some casualties and happily gain regeneration for everyone else on top of that.

* ''Warriors of Chaos Lore Attribute:'' '''Boon of Magic:''' When a spell is successfully cast, for each 6 rolled on the power dice, the wizard gets to add a power dice to his pool.  Kinda useless considering if you roll multiple 6s, you are miscasting (and will probably lose more dice than you gain, not to mention the other effects...).
* ''Daemons of Chaos Lore Attribute:'' '''Fires of Change:''' Each wound caused by a spell from this lore has a chance to add models to a nearby unit of Pink Horrors (on a roll of 4+) or Screamers (on a roll of 6) near the caster, even going beyond their starting number. These extra models do not grant extra victory points.
*'''Blue Fire of Tzeentch:''' The Tzeentch signature spell. A 24" magic missile that deals d6 strength d6 hits. Can be upgraded to 48". Very random, so it could either be destructive or ineffective. It has a very low casting cost (even the upgraded version), so your Pink Horror units can feasibly get this off on one or two die. Good against low toughness chaff (e.g. Goblin Wolf Riders, Ellyrian Reavers, etc.).
*'''Treason of Tzeentch:''' This is a very potent hex that targets the enemy's leadership. This forces the hexed unit to use the lowest Leadership value and prevents the unit from using the General's Inspiring Presence or the BSB's Hold Your Ground! special rule. Could be used to great effect with Terror charges with all the monsters Chaos has access to. Still effective against Undead and Daemon armies, because of crumbling and Daemonic Instability respectively.
*'''Pink Fire of Tzeentch:''' A teardrop template that has d6 strength and goes a distance equal to a roll on the artillery dice. Arguably better on a highly mobile caster, such as a Lord of Change or a Sorcerer on a Disc, than a footslogger, because you really need a flank to maximize the damage on this spell.
*'''Bolt of Change:''' A direct damage spell that acts much like a bolt thrower, but imagine it shooting energy that causes spontaneous mutations on the enemy. Like a bolt thrower, it penetrates ranks, ignores armor, and does d3 multiple wounds. It however has a strength value of d6+4, so it is strictly more reliable than the other spells from this lore. This is a valued spell as it answers the question of highly armored units.
 
*'''Glean Magic:''' You and an enemy wizard roll off, adding your wizard levels to the result. If you lose, aside from being disappointed, nothing really happens. If you win (or draw) you get to punch the wizard with a strength 3 Warpflame hit, he loses a wizard level (along with a random spell that wizard knows), and your caster gets to steal that spell. Tactically speaking, target your opponent's lower level wizards to ensure you win the roll-off- especially if it's a token Fire mage, so you can steal a fire spell and negate the regeneration caused by Warpflame.
*'''Tzeentch Firestorm:''' Rain fabulous fire on your enemies. Uses the blast template and scatters d6". Could be upgraded to the larger template, in which case it scatters 2d6". Be very wary of casting this on large high toughness units. You really don't want to cast this more than once on the same unit, as you run the risk of giving them resilience in the form of 5+ or lower Regeneration saves. 
*'''Infernal Gateway:''' The wizard opens a portal to the Realm of Chaos, exposing the target to the very face of magic itself. It is a direct damage spell that deals 2d6 strength 2d6 hits. If you roll an 11 or 12 on the strength, the hits become 3d6. This is a very powerful spell that ruins large units and utterly destroys small ones. It is also a very potent monster killer. Do not be discouraged by its variable nature as rolling average means that you're still doing 7 strength 7 hits. Keep in mind that it is a direct damage spell, so you only need your target to be not in combat. Aim at warmachines hiding behind units and watch those stone throwers and cannons melt.

===Lore of [[Slaanesh]]===
The lore of the God of Obsession and Excess. Daemons and Mortals who follow Slannesh are able to harness spells from this lore, although each with different attributes. The spells of Slannesh focus heavily on Hex spells and befitting a god of temptation a lot of the spells use the enemies leadership value when determining if it works or not.

* ''Warriors of Chaos Lore Attribute:'' '''Bliss in Torment:''' For every unsaved wound caused by a spell roll a D6, on a 6 the wizards WS, I and A are increased by 1 till your next magic phase. Not great as you won't be able to get him into close combat before your next magic phase unless you expect his unit to be attacked by an enemy unit next turn first.  Where this really shines is on a Daemon Prince, especially if he can charge a unit and fire off the boosted Cacophonic Choir to hit multiple targets...
* ''Daemons of Chaos Lore Attribute:'' '''Born of Damnation:''' Each wound caused by a spell from this lore has a chance to add models to a nearby unit of Daemonettes (on a roll of 5+) or Fiends (on a roll of 6) near the caster, even going beyond their starting number. These extra models do not grant extra victory points.
*'''Lash of Slaanesh:''' The signature spell of Slaanesh. A 24" inch direct damage spell were a line from the wizard to a point 24" away is drawn and any model in between takes a strength 3 hit with armor piercing. Not the best as it is limited by the number of models it can hit and its low strength. Would be better if it could be upgraded to 48".
*'''Acquiescence:''' Hex with a range of 24". Can be upgraded to 48" Gives the unit the Always Strikes Last rule and Random Movement (D6) for a turn. Useful against high speed units like elves as it takes away their Always strikes first and units that are looking to set up a charge; also bear in mind that Random Movement will force a Move or Fire unit (such as a cannon, or a unit dwarf thunderers) to move, meaning they can't fire.  Less useful against slow enemies with large weapons. Overall pretty good.
*'''Pavane of Slaanesh:''' Direct Damage with a range of 24". Can be upgraded to 48". Targets a single model that has to take a leadership test with 3D6 and if failed takes a would with no armor save. Decent sniping spell but since most characters have high leadership it will still be difficult to wound them. Good to target command models with.
*'''Hysterical Frenzy:''' A unique spell that is really two spells in one. You can use it as a Augment or a Hex spell depending on who you target. Both have a range of 24". As an Augment spell the unit gains the frenzy special rule that can't be lost if the unit is defeated (if the unit already has Frenzy, then the Frenzy gives +2A instead of +1). Cheap for a spell that grants an extra attack and Immune to Psychology but does come at a cost as the unit takes D6 strength 3 hits at the end of the casters magic phase. Not bad though but less useful for Daemons as they only get the extra attack. As a Hex spell it also grants the unit the Frenzy rule (including the +2A if they are already Frenzied) and does D6 strength 3 hits at the end of each magic phase. It would be a bad idea to give frenzy to those Black Orcs over there but as a hex spell it is more useful to target units that specialize in long range attacks like archers so they won't be able to shoot at you (assuming they fail their Ld test to restrain- and in the current edition, it's usually pretty easy to pass).
*'''Slicing Shards:''' A Magic Missile with a range of 24". Does D6 strength 4 hits with armor piercing. Right after however the unit must then take a leadership test and if failed the unit takes another D6 hits with the same rules and must continue this until a leadership test is passed or the unit is wiped-out. Not good against high leadership units like elves and dwarves but can destroy the lower leadership hordes of goblins and undead out there.
*'''Phantasmogoria:''' A hex with a range of 24". Can be upgraded to hit all enemies in 24". the target unit must use an additional D6 with ever leadership test and discard the lowest for a turn. Kind of like a reverse cold blooded and very useful if used in conjunction with one of the other spells that use leadership or if you got a big monster with terror.
*'''Cacophonic Choir:''' The caster seems to channel the noise marines as the caster unleashes a sonic scream for this one. A hex with a range of 12". Can be upgraded to hit all enemies in 12". Acts as an upgrade to Acquiescence as the target unit takes 2D6 hits that wound on a 4+ with no armor saves allowed and if just one wound is made the entire unit has the Always Strikes Last rule and Random Movement (D6) for a turn. Works better as a direct damage spell with the 50% chance to wound and no armor save (but remember as a hex it can be targeted at enemies in close combat) and if you want to slow the enemy Acquiescence works better. Works really good if you can get the caster in the middle of a bunch of enemies and have magic dice to burn.

===Lore of [[Nurgle]]===
The lore of the God of Despair it is fitting that most of the spell are about spreading the sickness around. Daemons and Mortals who follow Nurgle are able to harness spells from this lore, although each with different attributes. The spells of Nurgle  focus heavily on Augment spells and most of his damaging spells focus on the enemies toughness.

* ''Warriors of Chaos Lore Attribute:'' '''Bloated with Disease:''' Every time a wizard successfully casts a spell it rolls a D6. If a 6 is rolled the wizard's toughness and wounds are permanently increased. Really useful if you can spam a low cost spell and especially useful with a Daemon Prince.
* ''Daemons of Chaos Lore Attribute:'' '''Children of Nurgle:''' Each wound caused by a spell from this lore has a chance to add models to a nearby unit of Plaguebearers (on a roll of 5+) or Nurglings (on a roll of 6) near the caster, even going beyond their starting number. These extra models do not grant extra victory points.
*'''Stream of Corruption:''' The signature spell of Nurgle. A direct damage spell that uses the teardrop template. Models under the template take a toughness test and if failed take a wound with no armor saves. The spell has potential but a lot is holding it back. It has very short range as the template must touch the wizard and doesn't move forward and once you get a wizard that close they are vulnerable and the wizard or unit should be getting into close combat. Another major problem is that high toughness is pretty common in many armies so it will be harder to wound with this spell and as a direct damage spell it can't target units held up in combat. This spell would be much more useful if the wizard could use it like a breath weapon in close combat.
*'''Miasma of Pestilence:''' An unusual spell in that it is an augment spell that acts like a Hex spell. Any enemy units in base contact with the augmented unit lower their WS and I by 1 for a turn. The upgraded version lowers WS and I by D3. Useful in that as an augment spell the enemy until does not need to take any characteristic tests to see if they are effected, they just need to be in base contact with one of your units.
*'''Blades of Putrefaction:''' Augment with a range of 12". For a turn the units attacks are poisoned and if they already have poisoned attacks they now auto wound on a 5+. Good spell for little pay. One of Nurgle's best.  Ironically, is probably best used on a unit like daemonettes, which have a lot of attacks (and probably ASF for rerolls) but poor S.
*'''Curse of the Leper:''' Like Slaanesh's Hysterical Frenzy this spell can be used as either an Augment or a Hex. Range of 18", 36" when upgraded. As an Augment it increases the targets toughness by D3 for a turn. As a Hex it decreases the targets toughness by D3. If you are planning to use your Nurglite wizard offensively this spell is basically a must have.
*'''Rancid Visitations:''' Magic Missile with a range of 18". Target takes D6 strength 5 hits. And right after must take a toughness test and if failed takes another D6 strength 5 hits and so on until it passes or is killed. Really good against low toughness units but less against those with toughness 4 or above.
*'''Fleshy Abundance:''' Augment with a range of 18". Can target all units within 18" if upgraded. the unit gains regeneration 5+ for a turn. Really good for Warriors with their high armor saves and toughness but useless for Daemons unless they got a greater locus of Nurgle.
*'''Plague Wind:''' Like Stream of Corruption this spell has potential but is held back too much. Works like other vortex spells but when it passes over a model it must take a toughness test. Unlike the Purple sun or ABH the model just takes a single wound with no armor saves. So once again good against goblins and such but against Ogres and such not so much.

===Lore of [[Khorne]]===
There is just one spell in the lore of Khorne - whack that enemy with anything sharp or heavy. Very effective.

Also during a Storm of Magic if a caster screws up one of the super spells from one of the other Chaos Gods Khorne throws a brass skull onto the battle field aimed at the offending wizard. Not a real spell but the closest there is for him.