BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD! SKULLS FOR THE SKULL THRONE! etc etc…

Yes! Khorne cares not for how the blood flows, but he does deeply care about the fact that the Blades of Khorne finally have a 4th Edition Battletome for Warhammer Age of Sigmar.

What’s in it? Is it better then the Faction Pack? Let us find out together!

Our thanks to Games Workshop for sending us the Battletome and the brand new mini, the Deathbringer, to unbox and review for you all. Both the book and the model are up for preorder right now via our affiliates over at Element Games. Not only do they best the GW RRP, but also any purchase made through our affiliate link grants us a little kick back which helps us carry on what we are doing!

This isn’t the only review up today! Matt has been busy reviewing the Kharadron Overlords Battletome, which is also up for preorder today. He’s also been busy unboxing their brand new kits including the amazing scenery piece!

As well as the Battletome, which we are about to get stuck into, we’ve also got a full unboxing of the Deathbringer, a brand new mini for the Blades of Khorne. More on him later!

Introduction to the Blades of Khorne

For those who like their armies to be all (well, pretty much all, sorry Skull Cannon) about combat, then you won’t go far wrong with the Blades of Khorne.

The Battletome mixes the Daemons of Khorne with the Bloodbound, the mortal element of Khorne’s armies.

Led by hulking Bloodthirsters and Lords who want to crush your skull riding huge Juggernauts, playing Khorne is just downright fun.

Shouting well known Khorne phrases are encouraged. Well. Most of the time.

The Battletome opens with new and old lore, giving you a real flavour for the faction. This is intertwied with some amazing artwork as well as army shots, giving you a fantastic introduction.

Battle Traits

Alright, you folks are here to find out what, if anything, has changed between the Faction Pack and the Battletome, and the answer is a fair bit.

Let’s kick things off with the first part of The Rules section of the tome, the Battle Traits.

Once per Battle the Blades of Khorne have an ability called Blood-Drenched. You can only declare the use of this ability in the Hero phase (yours or your opponents) and only when half the units on the battlefield have been slain (so say I have 5 units, and my opponent has 5. At least 5 units total need to have been slain). OK, so it’s a late in the game power move, but what a power move it is!

The following effects come in to play. Not just for the round, but for the duration of the rest of the battle…

• Ignore Positive modifiers to save rolls for all Blades of Khorne units. Makes sense, they are basically cats rolling in a heap of cat-nip right now)
• Bloodbound units get Crit (Mortal)
• Blood-Hungry weapons (a unique keyword, more on who has this later in the review) non-Monster Daemon units get +1 Rend. This includes any Blood-Hungry companions.
• +1 Damage to those Blood-hungry weapons wielded by Monster Daemon units

Their aren’t many armies in the game that suddenly power up like this late in the game. At least, that is my opinion!

Previously you earned Blood Tithe points by killing units (or your units being killed, because you know, Khorne cares not) which could then be spent on an ability which went off and that was it.

Whilst earning Blood Tithe remains the same, the abilities have been replaced by an ability tree. You unlock the first one (Murderlust) for free. Once you have gained a Blood Tithe you can choose to go one of two ways down the tree, Divine Scorn or Punish the Pacifist. Gain another 2 Blood Tithe and you can unlock one of two other abilities, the options of which are different depending on the route you have chosen to take.

This is super cool, because they aren’t one hit abilities anymore. Any abilities you unlock become active for the rest of the battle. Also, nothing is stopping you from spending Blood Tithe to unlock an ability on the same level as another one you have unlocked, you don’t have to just follow the tree downwards. I much prefer this use of Blood Tithe points.

I’ll give you some examples of the abilities you can unlock:

• Murderlust: Roll a dice. You can use this dice to replace one of the 2D6 you’ve rolled for a Charge. I love this, as I’m terrible at making charges. Your unit does take D3 mortals though. Totally worth it!
• Glorious Combat or Naught: -1 to hit rolls for shooting attacks that target any Blades of Khorne units. Take THAT Kharadrons!
• Slaughter Triumphant: A latter in the game ability, but it’s a classic. +1 attack on the charge. Like I said, a classic.
• Cleave Wide the Grin of Khorne: +1 to hit on all Blades of Khorne units. Because who doesn’t want to hit better?

So far, so awesome.

Battle Formations

Khornate Legion and Bloodbound Warhorde are exactly the same as the Faction Pack, so we can easily skip those.

The other two however, have changed:

• Brass Stampede: Interesting one. You add X to the Charge roll for Blades of Khorne units, where X is the number of Cavalry or Monster units that have charged this phase already and are wholly within 12″. Send the cav and monsters in first, allowing better odds on getting your foot troops in. It’s not bad, just need to watch the positioning.
• Murderhost: Each friendly Khorne Dameon unit that has use a Fight ability this turn but is no longer in combat can move D6″. Again pretty good, allows you to prepare for the next charge (states you cannot move into another combat) or to pinch an objective.

Heroic Traits

In a slightly unusual move, all of the Heroic Traits have changed. Normally we see one or two change name, or even stay the same, but wholesale changes here.

Magical Scorn subtracts 1 from casting rolls for Wizards within 12″, same goes for Priests trying to chant. Skull Collector (love the name) gives the bearer +1 Attacks for every Enemy Hero killed, a-maze-ing, reminds me of the old similar Megaboss on Mawcrusha ability! Finally Frenzied Taskmaster allows the bearer to pick a friendly Infantry of Cavarly unit within it’s combat range, and allows them to move D6″. Cannot move into combat, though.

If you aren’t taking Skull Collector every time then WHO ARE YOU.

Artefacts of Power

Just the one change here, as Ar-gath and the Collar of Contempt return unchanged.

The third Artefact is the Butcher’s Blade. Pick an enemy unit that has had damage done to it by this unit’s combat attacks, then roll a D3. Inflict that number of mortal damage onto the target.

Prayer Lore

Again, changes ahoy.

Blood Boil, an old favourite, returns unchanged, but it has new prayers to sit next to.

• Uncontrolled Rage: (It must be so fun coming up with Khorne ability names, right?). Only requires a 4 and grants the chosen unit the Blood-Drenched ability, which is fantastic. If you managed to get the prayer off on an 8+ you get to ignore the Wild-eyed Brutality downside too.
• Final Act of Violence: Basically a roll a 5+ for each of your models that dies in combat and deal a mortal wound. You get to roll 2 dice per model if you chant on a 8+

Manifestation Lore

As far as I can see, zero changes here. Still 4s to chant your Manifestations. Let’s move swiftly on. Nothing to see here.

Warscrolls

Alright it’s time for the big section. The one you’ve been waiting for. The Warscrolls.

I’m going to run through each unit and point out as many changes that are noteworthy as I can. Of note straight out though, the majority of the melee combat weapons in this book are Blood-Hungry, as you would imagine from previous sections. I’ll try and point out where this isn’t the case:

• Skarbrand: Straight off the bat is our buddy Skarbrand, who is still probably my favourite Khorne mini. His weapon profiles are identical to the faction pack, but important to note that only Slaughter is Blood-Hungry. Carnage, probably because it’s mental enough as it is, is not Blood-Hungry. Everything else is the same.
• Wrath of Khorne Bloodthirster: Only change here is that he has gained an ability called Wrathful Dominance, which gives him +1 to Hit enemy Heroes.
• Bloodthirster of Insensate Rage: My favourite ‘thirster (after Skarbrand obv). No changes though. So pleased to see Outrageous Carnage return.
• Bloodthirster of Unfettered Fury: Guess what? No changes. NEXT!
• Skulltaker: No longer does Crit (Mortal). He’s lost his Blood Tithe farming ability, but has gained two new ones on top of Heroes Bane. The Eternal Duel allows him to heal when he slays Enemy Heroes, whilst Drawn to Blood allows you to pick an Enemy Hero anywhere on the battlefield who has used the Fight action this turn. Pick up Skulltaker and place him next to that Enemy Hero. Sadly only once per Battle, but still an amazing ability to help you pick off characters.
• Bloodmaster | Herald of Khorne: Blade of Blood is now Rend 2, but has lost Anti-Infantry +1 Rend and Crit (Mortal). It has, however, now gained Crit (2 Hits). Blood Must Flow, his scroll ability has changed a tad. It now adds +1 to hit to nearby Bloodletters.
• Bloodletters: The angriest foot daemons. Sadly, the regen dead Bloodletter sin combat has gone, and in its place you get a rule where you can move 3″, including passing through combat ranges, but must finish in combat.
• Blood Throne: His abilities have now completely changed. He has two. The first, Offering of Blood, allows him to deal 3 damage that cannot be negated to one of your own units, which then makes this model a higher Power level for the rest of the turn (Priest 1 up to 2). He also has a 4+ Ward against Spells and Manifestations.
• Bloodcrushers: No longer does damage on the charge. Instead, if you make a charge roll of 8+, for the rest of the phase this unit can pass through enemy units. On top of this enemy Cavalry cannot pile-in if they’ve been affected by the charge of this unit.
• Skull Cannon: Burning Skulls, the ranged profile, is not flat damage 2 instead of D3.
• Karanak: Stalk the Prey has changed, in fact, improved. Now allows you to pick up Karanak and a unit of Flesh Hound. You can then put them back down 6″ from your Quarry, but 9″ from any other enemy units.
• Flesh Hounds: Lost Anti-Wizard, lost +2 to charge. Gained an anti-chant/cast ability.
• Claws of Karanak: No changes, aside from the Pack Hunters ability also works off Karanak, not just Flesh Hounds.
• Mighty Lord of Khorne: No changes.
• Lord of Khorne on Juggernaut: Removed sadly!
• Skar Bloodwrath: Also gone.
• Slaughterpriest: The same, aside from he no longer gains a Blood Tithe from Blood Sacrifice, now gains a ritual point.
• Aspiring Deathbringer: With the new mini arriving you maybe unsurprised to hear this guy has gone.
• All Other Bloodbound Units: From what I can see…they all appear to be identical to the Faction Pack rules.

Deathbringer | The New Mini

Now, how about that new Deathbringer model? Check out the unboxing below!

The only new model in this release is the Deathbringer, but he’s a fun one with a very retro vibe to him. To me he brings back memories of some of the classic Warhammer Fantasy Khorne heroes, and surprisingly there’s some customisation on offer here with a couple of different back pieces on the sprue

Due to the heat being hotter than the fires of Aqshy, I haven’t quite got round to finishing this one yet, though I have made a decent start, and feel this would work just as well with a traditional red Khorne scheme to something a little darker. I also think you could get away with using him as an Old World hero on foot, due to him having that slightly retro look to him.

Spearhead

Moving on, the book turns its attention to Spearhead, because the Blades of Khorne are getting a brand new one.

Spearhead can be played in it’s own right, ensure you check out our Spearhead content for more on that.

The new Spearhead contains:

• Karanak
• Flesh Hounds (unit of 10)
• Claws of Karanak

This section also contains all the warscrolls and rules to play the above units within Spearhead, as well as a very good painting guide for your minis.

Path to Glory

Getting towards the end of the book at this point, but still plenty of content to get through, including a comprehensive Path to Glory section.

This section allows you to create your own Khorne hero, allowing you to give him abilities, weapons and mounts using a clever points building system, which allows you to include them in your games (should your opponent or tournament organisers allow).

Once created, your hero can then progress down one of three ‘tech’ trees, allowing him to unlock further abilities as he cleaves through your enemies collecting skulls for Khorne.

Army of Renown: Gorechosen Champions

In this 4th edition of Warhammer Age of Sigmar it is common place in the Battletomes to have one or two Army of Renowns to play with. These are basically alternative ways to build and play with your army (you ditch all the normal Battle Traits, Artefacts and Heroic Traits, replacing them with the ones listed in this section).

The first of these is the Gorechosen Champions.

In short, this Army of Renown can only take mortal Khorne units, and cannot take any Regiments of Renown.

The Battle Traits for this army are pretty fun, and include the ability to hand out an artefact during the deployment phase to one of your Heroes, as well as your Champions gaining a mighty 4+ Ward Save. Their is also a Battle Trait called Hate Fuelled Killers which in short allows Heroes to return to life on a 5+!

There are some really nice and nasty Artefacts and Prayers to choose from, and I strongly believe this could be a super fun way of playing. You do miss out on all the Daemon stuff (for me the big one being the Blood Thirsters) but I still think this could be fun. Also worth noting the only Manifestation you can take is the Wrath-Axe.

Army of Renown: The Baleful Lords

What if. Now stick with me here. You just wanted to run Bloodthirsters.

You are thinking about it right now aren’t you?

Well, this Army of Renown allows you to do just that. Roster options are short and sweet. Any Monster Hero Daemon units. That’s it. You cannot get simplier than that.

The Baleful Lords come with the most amount of Battle Traits I have ever seen, and these include ways to Heal your Thirsters, eat spells, shut down Rampges, move at the end of your turn and banish manifestations.

The coolest trait though goes to Born of Butchery, which allows your to pick a slain unit in your army once per turn in your Movement phase. Roll a number of dice equal to the number of units (friend or foe) that have been destroyed this battle so far. If the roll contains 8 or more results of 4+ you get the slain model you picked back (with the normal 9″ summoning restrictions).

Mental.

I want to run this Army of Renown.

Regiments of Renown

To wrap up the Battletome we have two Regiments of Renown, of which can be taken by any of the other Chaos armies in Age of Sigmar.

The first one, The Exiled One, allows you to take Skarbrand with your Chaos forces (I’m totally taking Skarbrand out for a spin with the Skaven, for sure!).

The second one, The Red Revelation, allows you to take the following models:

• Slaughterpriest
• 10 Bloodreavers
• 5 Skullreapers

They get some fairly cool abilities too, for example Slaughterpriest has the ability to give the rest of the regiment a 5+ Ward.

It’s no Skarbrand, though.

Summary

Phew, I almost feel exhausted after covering the Blades of Khorne Battletome, if only for having to read so many angry words. KILL! SLAY! MAIM! BURN! SKULLS FOR THE SKULL THRONE!

I’ve had a lot of fun typing out this review and reading the book. It’s really fired me up to play with Khorne again on the tabletop. I much prefer what they have done with Blood Tithe points if I’m being honest. Unlocking abilities for the rest of the game is much better than one-off abilities, and the tree system to unlock said abilities is a fun mini game to play whilst you are slaughtering your enemies.

The Warscrolls have only had minor changes in my eyes, which is no bad thing IMHO. I’m not a competitive player, but I feel the Warscrolls are fun as they are, and combined with the new Blood-Hungry keyword and traits, I think we’ll see a few smiling Khorne players when this book lands.

Both Armies of Renown look incredibly fun to play, although their is only one winner, and that is the Baleful Lords Army of Renown, which is bonkers and brilliant at the same time.

The Blades of Khorne Battletome and Deathbringer mini are up for preorder right now. Our thanks again to Games Workshop for sending us both to unbox and review.