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

Allegiance Abilities

Battle Traits

If your army has a BEASTCLAW RAIDERS allegiance and chose to take the BEASTCLAW RAIDERS allegiance abilities, it has the following rules:

• Everyone rerolls wound rolls of 1 when charging.
• Everwinter's Blessing: In each hero phase you roll a dice: on 1-2 everyone can reroll save rolls of 1, on a 3-4 everyone gets a 3" movement, on a 5 every enemy unit within 3" of your models suffers D3 mortal wounds on a 6 roll, and on a 6 they suffer D6 mortal wounds.

Command Traits

The General of an army which has a BEASTCLAW RAIDERS allegiance and has chosen to take the BEASTCLAW RAIDERS allegiance abilities can choose one of the following Command Traits:

1. Massive Bulk: General gets an extra wound.
2. Everwinter's Master: As long as the General is alive, you can reroll the Everwinter's Blessing (see above)
3. Avalanche Voice: The range of the General's command ability is increased by 8".
4. Famed Hunter: The General can reroll every hit roll of 1 (applies only to his weapons and not to the mount's)
5. Beast-eater: The General rerolls every failed wound roll against MONSTERS.
6. Fearsome Leader: Every enemy unit within 3" from the General gets -1 Bravery.

Magical Artefacts

One HERO in an army which has a BEASTCLAW RAIDERS allegiance and has chosen to take the BEASTCLAW RAIDERS allegiance abilities, plus one HERO for every battalion selected, can choose one of the following Magical Artefacts:

1. Elixir of Frostwyrm: In each shooting phase, pick a unit within 9" from the bearer: on a 2+ roll it suffers mortal wounds (1 if you rolled a 2-3. D3 if you rolled a 4-5, D6 if you rolled a 6). If you roll a 1, the bearer suffers a mortal wound and can't use this ability anymore.
2. The Bleeding Skull of Dragaar: The bearer can unbind a single spell in each turn.
3. The Pelt of Charngar: The bearer heals a wound in each hero phase (D3 on a 4+ roll)
4. Blade of All-Frost: One of the bearer's weapons deals an extra damage, and if it damages a HERO or a MONSTER that model can't attack until all the other units in his army did.
5. Tokens of the Everwinter: One use only. Bearer rerolls every hit, wound and save roll until the next hero phase.
6. Ice Mammoth Skull Plate: Bearer can reroll save rolls against attacks with no rend.

Warscrolls

Common keywords in these warscrolls are DESTRUCTION and BEASTCLAW RAIDERS. Most units also have the OGOR keyword, except for Frost Sabres and Icefall Yhetees.

Leaders

• Icebrow Hunter: Our only unmounted Ogor in the faction. Gets a Culling Club as his only melee weapon and it's nice, but the real cool thing is his Great Throwing Spear: not only is it a good shooting weapon, but if the Hunter runs he can shoot it in the same turn with doubled range and deal D6 wounds instead of D3. He can also take the Hunter's Crossbow, that is basically the Great Throwing Spear but with slightly more range and no rend, but it doesn't replace it. Also, instead of his regular shooting weapons he can use his Ice Breath and deal D3 mortal wounds on a 4+ roll to a unit within 6". Also, he can be placed in the reserves and set on the field in any hero phase.

• Frostlord on Thundertusk: It's like the Thundertusk Beastriders, but with a single rider that wields a spear. A giant spear dealing 4 attacks, each dealing 3 wounds with -1 rend. And also a command ability that allows every BEASTCLAW RAIDERS unit within 14" to reroll charges.

• Frostlord on Stonehorn: It's like the Frostlord on Thundertusk, but on a Stonehorn. Same spear. same command ability, but with the toughness and the ability of running and charging in the same turn of the Stonehorn.

• Huskard on Thundertusk: This guy has a ranged weapon choice between a Harpoon Launcher (good shooting weapon), a Chaintrap (like the Harpoon Launcher but with shorter range and always deals 3 damage rather than the Harpoon's D3) or a Blood Vulture (both you and your opponent choose an enemy unit within 30" from the Huskard, then you roll a dice: on a 4+ it's a mortal wound where you chose to aim, otherwise it damages the unit your opponent chose). Also gives blessings: you choose a BEASTCLAW RAIDERS unit within 18" and on a 4+ roll (add +1 for every Thundertusk in range) that unit either heals D3 wounds or rerolls every 1 to wound until next hero phase.

• Huskard on Stonehorn: While the Frostlord is the exact same with either mount, the Huskard gets a different ability on a Stonehorn: after he attacks, a Mournfang Pack within 10" can istantly pile in and attack if they didn't do that already.

Troops

• Frost Sabres: (Battleline only if you take an Icebrow Hunter as your general in a BEASTCLAW RAIDERS-only army) We mention them first since their main shtick is getting buffed by Icebrow Hunters: Having one of them within 16" gives the entire unit +2 Bravery and +3 to charge rolls. Their melee attacks are not bad either.

• Mournfang Pack: (Battleline only in a BEASTCLAW RAIDERS-only army The big cavalry unit. Can choose between a two-handed weapon, that deals two attacks with rend -1 dealing 3 wounds, or a one-handed weapon and Iron Fist, which deal a mortal wound to the closest enemy model every time you roll a 6 to save. The unit leader can also take an Ironlock Pistol. Hornblower allows them to roll 3 dices and take the highest two when charging (and their charges deal a mortal wound on the charged unit on a 4+ BTW), while the Banner Bearer combines both the effects from the Gutbuster standard choices (re-rolls every 6 in Battleshock and every time an enemy unit within 3" has a model flee you roll a dice and on a 6 another model flees).

• Icefall Yhetees: (Battleline only if you take a Frostlord on Thundertusk as your general in a BEASTCLAW RAIDERS-only army) These dudes have the -1 to enemy hit rolls ability like the Thundertusk, attacks identical to the Sabretusks ones except dealing double damage, and can do a 6" pileup. Also can run and charge if there is a Thundertusk within 16".

Behemoth

• Stonehorn Beastriders: (Battleline only in a BEASTCLAW RAIDERS-only army) First big monster. It must charge when possible, deals D6 mortal wounds right after he charged and suffers halved wounds (even mortal ones). It gets two riders: one always haves the Harpoon Launcher, the other must choose between the Chaintrap and the Blood Vulture. The real icing on the cake is how tough the Stonehorn is: it halves (rounding up) any and all wounds it takes from all attacks. Yes, that includes mortal wounds.

• Thundertusk Beastriders: (Battleline only in a BEASTCLAW RAIDERS-only army) The other big monster, with cool abilities: -1 to enemy hit rolls in melee, and a badass shooting attack dealing up to 6 mortal wounds on a 2+ roll. The riders are the same as the Stonehorn Beastriders.

Battalions

Jorlbad

Found in the Beastclaw Raiders Battletome.

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

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

Skal

Found in the Beastclaw Raiders Battletome.

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

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

Torrbad

Found in the Beastclaw Raiders Battletome.

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

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

Eurlbad

Found in the Beastclaw Raiders Battletome.

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

Everyone in the formation deals a mortal wound every time they roll a 6 to wound, and the Huskard's weapons deal an extra wound each.

Alfrostun

Found in the Beastclaw Raiders Battletome.

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

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

Svard Alfrostun

Found in the Beastclaw Raiders Battletome.

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

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

Olwyr Alfrostun

Found in the Beastclaw Raiders Battletome.

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

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

Braggoth's Beast Hammer

Found in the Beastclaw Raiders Battletome.

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

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

Icewind Assault

Found in the Icewind Assault box.

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

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

Army Building

When building a Beastclaw Raiders army, there are several factors that come into play.

• Benefits*

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

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

Resiliency - These guys are also tough. Everything in this list has some form of save and most fall in the 4+ or 5+ variety. This makes them quite resilient to damage. There is also the added ability for the stonehorns to halve all wounds and the -1 to hit rolls for the thundertusks and yhetees. Its easy to see that these dudes have some pretty awesome staying power.

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

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

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

• Deficits*

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

Magic - The Beastclaw Raiders are completely wizard free. There is no opportunity to cast or dispel spells, which can be a problem against some magic heavy army lists.

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

Cheese - The strength and power of the stonehorns and the thundertusks are undeniable. Lots of wounds and abilities that make them intimidating to many when only one of them is brought. However, several of the war scroll battalions require the use of multiple copies of these massive monsters. Do not be surprised to hear some of your opponents asking for crackers to go with your seemingly overpowered cheese list or possibly refusing to play you all together.