ISSUE 49
3 January 2015

Editor: Jes Bickham
jes@whitedwarf.co.uk

Publisher: Paul Lyons
paul@whitedwarf.co.uk

While Chaos and the Undead clash in epic combat deep below the surface of the Warhammer world, other beings seek to make their mark on the End Times – this week the maleficent Skaven boil up from their under-empires and enter the fray with a huge new kit, the Verminlord, which makes five distinct beings of daemonic power and unmatchable cunning. We’ve got the full rules for these dread harbingers of the Horned Rat too, along with a comprehensive Paint Splatter dedicated to Skreech Verminking, greatest of the vile Verminlords.

And with the arrival of a new Skaven kit, there could be no better time to explore who and what the Skaven are in our feature The Terror Beneath. Considered a child-frightening bogeyman by much of the Empire, the existence of the Skaven is about to become all too certain…

The Verminlords are the avatars of the Great Horned Rat, the embodiment of deceit, creeping decay and inscrutable knowledge. The Warpseer is but one such manifestation, a conniving and manipulative schemer armed with doom glaive and scry-orb.

Each Verminlord is a reflection of one aspect of the personality and will of the Skaven’s patron deity, the Great Horned Rat. The Warpseer represents the desire to manipulate and control the paths of the future, ensuring his bewhiskered children inherit the world. To this end, he clutches a huge black scry-orb, a magical sphere that enables him to read the skeins of fate and ensure that the plans of the Great Horned One continue to advance unoppose.

The Warpseer is a towering verminous figure, a nightmare vision of a foul rat daemon wrought in plastic, with a crown of curling horns set upon its skull. The kit itself enables you to make any one of five different Verminlords, and the Warpseer is a truly majestic example. The flesh of its muscular body is carved with glowing runes and sigils, one clawed foot resting on the haft of its warpstone encrusted doom glaive.

Left, The doom glaive is the signature weapon of the Warpseer, a two-bladed polearm empowered by a trio of warpstones set into each of the blades.

Right, The Warpseer’s empty eye-sockets stare at his massive scry-orb (it’s as big as a man’s body). The surface of the sphere is carved with mysterious Skaven runes…

Rarely summoned to the mortal realm, Verminlord Deceivers are yet more rarely seen, for they are Skaven treachery and stealth made real. Assassins all, they appear without warning, dispatching their foe with brutal efficiency before vanishing in a swirl of smoke.

Where the Verminlord Warpseer is an undisputed master of magical carnage, the Verminlord Deceiver is the maestro of misdirection and deception. Renowned for skulking in the gloom, they are notoriously hard to pin down, vanishing from combat as if they were never there. Disorientated, the enemy continue their advance, unaware the Deceiver is but a dagger’s length away, lurking in the shadows behind them.

This supernatural level of sneakiness reflects an aspect of the Horned Rat that appeals to all Skaven, particularly those of Clan Eshin. It’s no wonder, therefore, that the Deceiver garbs himself in similar clothing, his head covered by a ragged cowl, a sinister masquerade-style mask obscuring his face. Sprouting from the back of the Deceiver’s head are two sets of horns: a short, viciously curved pair and two curling horns hung with tiny brass bells that ring only when the Deceiver wishes, a final tolling for their victims, and a notice of certain, imminent death.

Verminlord Deceivers believe that the perfect death is quick, silent and, above all, completely unexpected. Why fight honourably face-to-face when you can stab-skewer your opponent in the back? It’s for this reason that the Deceiver carries a long, wickedly thin warpstiletto coated in virulent poison. A well-aimed thrust to the heart at just the right moment is just as effective as a cleaver to the face. This philosophy of a clean death extends to the Deceiver’s other weapon, the doomstar. Dripping with lethal toxins, it’s the perfect weapon for silently slicing off heads and limbs from a good, safe distance.

Left, The Deceiver’s mask bears the triskele rune, one of the most recognisable claw-marks of the Skaven race.

Right, The doomstar emulates the three-bladed rune of Clan Eshin and bears the sacred rune of the Horned Rat at the centre.

Left, The warpstiletto: deadly in the right hands. Here you can also see the Deceiver’s armoured vambrace.

Right, The Deceiver stands on a lump of masonry from an ancient ruin, tiny rats scuttling nearby.

The Verminlord Corruptors are pestilence and decay incarnate, their faces rotted away by the virulent diseases that permeate the air around them. In battle they are savage and frenzied, armed with paired plaguereapers and mastery of the Skaven’s most vile magic.

The Verminlord Corruptors embody the black plague and bubonix spread far and wide by the ratmen of Clan Pestilens. They are vicious creatures who prefer to vent their rage at the forefront of the battle where their rancid contagions can strike down the foe. Their bodies are marred by buboes and their horns are withered, cracked and split. Even their faces are ravaged by their inner corruption, the skin sloughed away from the skull beneath.

The matted, lice-ridden bodies of the Corruptors are not a sign of weakness, however – they are powerful wizards, able to call down plague squalls with little more than a thought. Their sinuous bodies are deadly weapons, with sharp bone spurs jutting from their elbows, as jagged and deadly as the hook-bladed plaguereapers with which they hack and tear into their foes, revelling in the warm splash of their victims’ blood with every slashing blow.

Left, Skreech Verminking is armed with both a plaguereaper and a doom glaive, deadly weapons of incredible power – the warpstone encrusted blade of the doom glaive is so potent that even the mightiest monsters can be slain with only a few quick thrusts, ideally dealt from behind.

Right, Skreech’s head is inspired by the classic Citadel Verminlord miniature with a warpstone shard driven into his forehead, and the right side of his face showing exposed bone and an empty eye socket. The left appears normal… for a Skaven.

Known as the Tyrants of Battle and the Great Stabber-Slicers, Verminlord Warbringers embody the most warlike aspects of the Horned Rat. They are found fighting alongside the Warlord Clans, their presence driving nearby Skaven to acts of frenzied violence.

An embodiment of war and destruction, the Verminlord Warbringer is a fearsome foe and a fell inspiration to nearby Skaven, who seek to emulate its ferocity. Immeasurably powerful, Warbringers also possess deviousness and cunning the equal of the Great Horned Rat and the Skaven who worship him. They are preening giants who revel in heroic poses and sky-splitting warcries with which to inspire the teeming masses around them.

The Warbringer is bedecked in sharp, claw-like blades and horns. In one hand he wields a doom glaive, while in the other he carries a two-pronged punch dagger engraved with Skaven runes, its blades longer than a man is tall. The Warbringer has the longest horns of any of the Verminlords (venerable Lord Skreech excluded), a sign of his kill-kill presence on the battlefield and his status as the most brutal of his rat daemon-kind.

Left, The Verminlord’s signature weapon is this vicious punch dagger extending from the vambrace on his forearm.

Right, The Warbringer is most easily recognised by his fondness for blades. He even has one welded to the top of his helm, a curved, serrated, horn-like dagger with chunks of warpstone hammered into it. He also wears a lacquered metal gorget around his neck, Skaven runes of doom and destruction engraved into its surface.

The greatest of the Verminlords, Skreech Verminking was created in the moment of Nagash’s first death millennia ago. Since then he has plotted and schemed to see the Skaven ascend to power and conquer the world from below. Now their time has come…

An age ago, when Nagash first attempted to eradicate all life from the world with his great ritual, it was the Skaven’s Council of Thirteen, the Lords of Decay, who thwarted his designs. The Great Horned Rat was pleased, and he swept up his servants and, with a single, searing, bolt of black lightning, moulded them into something greater than they had individually been. Skreech Verminking was born, the greatest of all the Verminlords, one who embodied each and every aspect of the Skaven, from the murderous stealth of Clan Eshin to the sorcerous power of the Grey Seers and the arrogant violence of the Warlord clans.

Since that fateful day, Skreech has plotted and schemed, determined to usher the race of the Skaven to supremacy. As the End Times begin, the Rat King knows that the time of the Skaven is now – and he will see them victorious.

Left, Skreech Verminking is armed with both a plaguereaper and a doom glaive, deadly weapons of incredible power – the warpstone encrusted blade of the doom glaive is so potent that even the mightiest monsters can be slain with only a few quick thrusts, ideally dealt from behind.

Right, Skreech’s head is inspired by the classic Citadel Verminlord miniature with a warpstone shard driven into his forehead, and the right side of his face showing exposed bone and an empty eye socket. The left appears normal… for a Skaven.

By Andy Smillie
Hardback | 160 pages

Sundered from their founding Legion, the Flesh Tearers must fight for survival.

A story detailing the origins of the Flesh Tearers Chapter, Sons of Wrath is available now for the first time as a standard edition.

Guilliman’s edict has broken the Legions, creating Chapters in their place. While some cleave to new order with willing hearts, the Flesh Tearers, successors of the Blood Angels Legion, rail against their predicament. They are cursed by their blood, tainted by their actions and driven by an insatiable appetite to kill. As Chapter Master Amit and his warriors scour the stars, they stave off the roiling violence within them by slaughtering traitors and enemies – but as their blood lust grows stronger, they must resist turning against those who remain loyal to the Emperor. It is a narrow path, fraught with pitfalls.

Sons of Wrath is but the latest in a swathe of Flesh Tearer stories by the bloody-handed Andy Smillie. Flesh of Cretacia includes many of the characters also in Sons of Wrath, while Trial by Blood and Blood in the Machine feature the Flesh Tearers descendants in the 41st Millennium. Go to blacklibrary.com for more.

By Gav Thorpe & Aaron Dembski-Bowden
Audio dramas | 74 minutes

Treachery is afoot in this double bill of audio dramas set in the midst of the Horus Heresy, with action on the soil of Caliban, home of the Dark Angels Legion, and aboard their flagship, the Invincible Reason.

Deception, honour and punishment are the themes at play in this double-header featuring the Dark Angels and Night Lords in the midst of the Horus Heresy.

In Long Night, Sevatarion, First Captain of the Night Lords is a prisoner aboard the Dark Angels flagship, Invincible Reason. Escape seems an impossibility, but in the midst of his imprisonment he sees an injustice that cannot go unpunished. By contrast, in Master of the First, Merir Astelan, notorious as one of the Fallen in the 41st millennium, is called upon by his loyal brethren to lead a coup against Luther and his followers embracing the traditions of the Calibanite Order. Those who know Astelan’s story will have cause to wonder if everything they know is a lie…

These Black Library books and audio CDs are also available as eBooks and MP3 downloads. For more information visit:

www.blacklibrary.com

The Blood Angels are renowned for their fast assaults, tearing across the skies in Stormraven Gunships to strike at the heart of the enemy army. The Sanguine Strike Company does just that.

A Sanguine Strike Company is assembled when a rapid, direct strike is required, and only the staunchest and most brutally capable of the Blood Angels’ many storied warriors will suffice.

This boxed set includes a Blood Angels Dreadnought, a Blood Angels Librarian in Terminator Armour, a Blood Angels Terminator Assault squad, and a Stormraven Gunship. The Terminator Assault squad can be armed with lightning claws or thunder hammers and storm shields (or a combination thereof) and can carry a company standard. The Stormraven comes with a wide variety of weapons, too, including plasma cannons, assault cannons, heavy bolters, missile launchers, lascannons, multi-meltas and hurricane bolters. This astonishing firepower offers vital support to the Stormraven’s bloodthirsty cargo as it delivers them into the heart of the battle.

Warhammer: Visions arrives this month, borne upon the wings of the Imperium’s heroic saviours: the Blood Angels are here.

Following in the wake of the fantastic Blood Angels-filled December, Warhammer: Visions presents a glorious retrospective of the Sons of Baal as we showcase the Studio’s collection, including all the new releases. We also have the pleasure to present Martin Waller’s gorgeous Blood Angels collection as our Army of the Month. It’s well worth a look.

Other features in the issue include a gallery of flyers, another of Imperial Knights and a fresh foray into the weird and wonderful in Blanchitsu. There is also coverage of models from Golden Demon Modena, the second instalment of our Lords of War gallery and a Readers Parade Ground. Get stuck in!

Warhammer: Visions is available from Games Workshop stores, the Games Workshop website, independent stockists, and good newsagents and bookshops everywhere, and in enhanced digital format for iPad, from the App Store.

The Primarch of the Night Lords legion, Konrad Curze, is the Night Haunter, a warrior who wins wars as much through psychological means as his sublime skill in battle. Yet his murderous methods marked him as an outcast even before the Heresy began…

When the infant Primarchs were scattered by the gods of Chaos, Curze ended up on the cruel night world of Nostramo, where criminal gangs ruled with violence and brutality. By the time the Emperor found him, Curze had all but eradicated crime on Nostramo through a campaign of absolute fear and shocking violence. When at last he was united with the Legion that was his birthright, Curze led them with the same flair for violence and terror tactics with which he had subjugated an entire world.

When the sanction force was sent to Isstvan V to bring Horus to heel, Curze was chosen to be amongst them, even though many were already appalled by his actions and those of his Legion throughout the Great Crusade; his reputation for punishing lawbreakers was legend. In the Dropsite Massacre he showed his true colours, however. Armed with the lightning claws Mercy and Forgiveness and clad in the Nightmare Mantle, a custom suit of armour hung with the flayed skin of sinners, he was a vision of murderous vengeance and bestial fury set loose against the loyal Imperials.

Though few believe the tales, the Skaven are one of the greatest threats to the Old World, an ever-present menace lurking beneath the world. Through diabolical technology, dark magic and low cunning they will see the world drown beneath a verminous tide.

Backertag, third week of Sommerzeit, 2499.

It is with an unsteady hand that I write my diary entry this day. The Altestadt is consumed by flames, the streets full of gigantic rats that attack and devour everything in their path. I had thought the madness of the last few months over, that the disappearances would stop, but as I watch from the window of my college dormitory, I know that it is not the case. I fear the nightmare has just begun.

I have seen with my own eyes that which I will never forget – rats the size of men, walking on their hind legs, worm-like tails snaking behind them, protruding from filth-encrusted robes. They are an obscene parody of mankind, so horrific they must be some kind of joke, a masquerade thrown by some of the more depraved students in the district. But I know in my heart that they are not.

Hunched and cowled, they chitter manically to each other as if in conversation. I fear they are talking to each other, plotting the downfall of our great city. And surely they must be, for in their claws they clutch rusty swords and rotten shields, a mockery of our noble city guard. I weep at the sight of these horrific creatures, these vile rat-men.

– From The Journal of Johannes Alders,
Scholar and Outcas

The race known as the Skaven are commonly regarded as a dark myth by the people of the Empire and Bretonnia. To the common man they are nothing more than a sinister folktale used to scare children, the fantastical ramblings of men with vivid imaginations and too much time on their hands. Indeed, with Orcs, Undead, Beastmen and the warriors of the north a very real and constant threat, it’s easy to understand how men are so willing to ignore the Skaven threat that lurks beneath them.

Tales of the Skaven are older even than the Empire itself. Indeed, the very first suggestion of their existence dates back over 4,500 years and is recounted in the Tilean tale, the Doom of Kavzar. Of course, such doom-laden stories are nothing new to the men of the Empire. Rats the size of dogs are regularly seen in the streets of Altdorf and lurid green meteors are not uncommon around Geheimnisnacht. Neither have heralded a mass uprising of gigantic rats that walk like men. At least, none have been recorded…

But the Skaven are real. Out of sight, they work tirelessly to maintain the illusion that they do not exist, at least to the race of men. Records of their existence are prone to disappearing and learned scholars have an unfortunate habit of dying in their sleep. Even the tapestry of Sigmar battling the Skaven was destroyed, mysteriously eaten by pests during the night. The little evidence that remains – the ancient skeleton of a huge bipedal rat displayed in the Altdorf Museum, for example, or the eyewitness accounts at the masquerade ball of Nuln in 2499 – are frequently disregarded. The Skaven are most satisfied with this level of ignorance.

The Dwarfs, on the other hand, are more than aware of the threat posed by the Skaven. For thousands of years the Dwarfs have fought the vile rat-men beneath the earth, a war gone unnoticed by the surface dwellers. Thought impregnable, Dwarf holds fell, not from without, but from within, the Skaven burrowing up from below to claim them level by level over the following centuries. Most famous of all is Karak Eight Peaks, which, according to the Book of Grudges, fell over 3,000 years ago. Only now do the Dwarfs seek to reclaim it and, despite their best efforts, have only partially succeeded.

THE HORNED RAT

The Skaven deity is known as the Horned Rat, the Lord of the World Below, the Ratkin God. Like his Chaos-tainted children, the Horned Rat is cunning and devious, constantly plotting the downfall of civilisations. Much to his frustration, his progeny could easily conquer the world if only they worked together and stopped bickering.

Only once has the Horned Rat appeared before his children. In 2302 the Grey Seers undertook the Great Summoning, the Horned Rat manifesting among the assembled Skaven. After devouring many of his under-earthly minions, he left behind 13 verminous commandments of ruination. To this day his unholy decree is enforced (when it suits them) by the Council of Thirteen.

THE DOOM OF KAVZAR

Marktag, second week of Brauzeit, 2509.

I made a startling discovery in the library of Tobaro today; a book titled the Doom of Kavzar.

It tells the tale of an ancient city not far from here where men and Dwarfs lived in harmony. One day the men decided to erect a dedication to their god to celebrate their great fortune. For generations they laboured until, one day, they were visited by a grey-clad stranger who vowed to finish their tower if they let him add his own dedication to the structure. He kept his promise and the tower was finished just before midnight, capped by a massive brass bell. At the hour of midnight the bell rang out not twelve, but thirteen times. Glowing meteors fell from the sky and the city drowned beneath a tide of giant rats.

Despite offering a substantial sum of gold, my guide will not take me to see the ruins of the city.

– From The Journal of Johannes Alders,
Scholar and Outcast

If the Dwarfs are to be believed, the heart of the Skaven Under-Empire sits directly beneath the lands of men, its tunnels and warrens stretching to the furthest corners of the globe like a cancer eating the world from the inside out. Even more terrifying, the Dwarfs claim the Skaven are now more numerous than ever and that, beneath the surface, millions of furry bodies from clans too numerous to count wait patiently, ready to strike. Though many of these clans are, and will likely always be, unknown, there are four that stand above the others, the Greater Clans: Skryre, Moulder, Eshin and Pestilens.

The Warlock Engineers of Clan Skryre are generally regarded as insane geniuses by others members of their race. They have an affinity for technology and innovation, combining it with dark sorcery and copious amounts of warpstone to create fiendish weapons such as the Warpfire Thrower and the Warp Lightning Cannon.

The Master Mutators of Clan Moulder are breeders, flesh-crafters and twisted surgeons, able to stitch and weld together seemingly incompatible creatures and technology into hideous fighting-beasts that other clans are more than willing to pay for. A brood of fearsome Rat Ogres or a Hell Pit Abomination go a long way to boosting the ranks of any aspiring clan.

Clan Eshin are the most mysterious of the Greater Clans. Trained in the arts of stealth, misdirection and silent death, the assassins of Clan Eshin are often hired to ensure the death of a rival that cannot be killed by conventional means.

The Plague Monks of Clan Pestilens embody the Skaven worship of decay to such an extent their bodies have become living temples to plague and disease, their fur and skin falling off to reveal pus-filled buboes and weeping sores.

WARPSTONE

Warpstone (or wyrdstone as it is sometimes known in the Empire) is a substance highly prized by the Skaven. It is commonly recognised as a black rock surrounded by a sickly green glow, though only the foolish (or desperate) would dare to handle it, for even the slightest touch can lead to an agonising death or, at the very least, horrible mutations.

What men do not realise is that warpstone is the physical manifestation of raw magic and, as such, a product of Chaos. This does not concern the Skaven in the slightest and they make every effort to get their claws on the deadly stuff. It is commonly used as a power source for weapons, a mutagen, an aid to spellcasting and even as currency. There’s little the Skaven won’t do with warpstone.

Clan Pestilens’ mastery of plague is of immense value to the Skaven, and in the year 1111, the Skaven clans, for once working together, almost destroyed the Empire with the help of Pestilens’ Black Plague. Had it not been for the valiant efforts of Count Mandred Skaven-slayer and an unfortunate (some might say suspicious) outbreak of the Black Plague among the Skaven’s own ranks, they would have succeeded. In the aftermath, Mandred was murdered while he slept by a Clan Eshin assassin, false evidence of a mutant atrocity placed to cover it up. All records of the Skaven invasion mysteriously disappeared over the following years. The Skaven learnt to rely on stealth, patience and good, clean underhandedness to ensure victory.

Fortunately for the denizens of the world, cooperation between the clans is rare. Skaven are, by their nature, treacherous, power-hungry creatures that will do anything to further their own standing within the Under-Empire, bickering, fighting and killing each other in their quest for dominance. Sometimes these vendettas are conducted on a personal level, resulting in one or more parties hiring the services of a Clan Eshin assassin to deal with their rivals (often to the mortal detriment of all concerned). More commonly, disputes are between entire clans. Clan Rictus and Clan Mors frequently clash over territory and rights of conquest, their respective Lords constantly looking for ways to usurp each other’s power. On occasion, these clan wars consume the entire race, resulting in wholesale genocide. Were men to know of such wars they’d rejoice. Sadly there are always more Skaven to fill the vacuum.

As the End Times approach, it is with much coercion, bribery and the very real threat of immolation that the Grey Seers and the Council of Thirteen attempt to bind the disparate clans to their will, to unite the Skaven race and take over the world. As war rages above them all across the globe, they believe that now is the time of the Great Ascendancy. Yet one among them has other plans…

GREY SEER THANQUOL

Of all the Skaven, there’s one that has meddled in the affairs of men more than any other: Grey Seer Thanquol. It’s believed that he masterminded the Skaven assault on Nuln in 2499, almost bringing the city to its knees. According to the shadowmancer Jeremiah Scrivener, Thanquol was also responsible for the near-destruction of Altdorf in more recent times, though there’s a distinct lack of evidence to back up his wild claim.

As the End Times approach, it’s clear that Grey Seer Thanquol continues to plot and scheme. Indeed, his claw-mark – a horned rendition of the rune of the Great Horned Rat –has appeared more frequently in recent years. What, exactly, the devious grey rat is planning, however, is still a mystery.

THE UNDER-EMPIRE

Wellentag, first week of Ulriczeit, 2518.

It is my firm belief that not only do the Skaven exist, but that they are more numerous, powerful and organised than we dare imagine. Lars, my understudy in Altdorf, found this map in a decrepit curio shop. I have asked him for more information, but he is yet to reply. Unusual. He is normally so fast to respond.

If the map is to be believed, there are Skaven strongholds beneath every major city of the Empire! I can only assume the black lines are tunnels, which explains how the rat-men travel so swiftly. The references made to the illicit substance known as warpstone are also of great concern, especially as the Skaven have strongholds under every major deposit. I must notify someone of my findings immediately!

– From The Journal of Johannes Alders, Scholar and Outcast

THE COUNCIL OF THIRTEEN

Angestag, first week in Vorgheim, 2522.

For the love of Sigmar, someone has to take notice of my discoveries! How can they be so ignorant! Not only can I prove the existence of the Skaven, but I have even identified many of their rulers, the so-called Council of Thirteen. Is this not evidence enough of their diabolical race?

1. Seerlord Kritislik, Grey Seer.
2. Lord Gnawdwell, Clan Mors.
3. Kratch Doomclaw, Clan Rictus.
4. Lord Paskrit, Warlord-General.
5. Vrisk Ironscratch, Clan Scurvy.
6. Griznekt Mancarver, Clan Skab.
7. Unknown, possibly Clan Morbidus.
8. Unknown, possibly Clan Carrion.
9. Nightlord Sneek, Clan Eshin (unconfirmed).
10. Arch-Plaguelord Nurglitch, Clan Pestilens.
11. Packlord Verminkin, Clan Moulder.
12. Lord Morskittar, Clan Skryre.

– Last entry in The Journal of Johannes Alders, Scholar and Outcas

The Verminlords are the biggest and most powerful monsters that a Skaven army can lay its greasy paws on, an awesome combination of magical prowess, deadly close combat strength and rat-like cunning. We present their rules, and some advice on how to use them.

The Verminlords are what can only be described as a truly terrifying opponent on the Warhammer battlefield, probably the most dangerous creature the Skaven can summon (and even they do so only reluctantly). Not only do they look amazing, but they are great at magic, deadly in a fight and frighteningly fast.

While there are five distinct Verminlords to choose from, they have plenty in common. So here are our top three tips for getting the best out of your Verminlord in battle, whichever type you choose:

Zap-zap, big magic: All Verminlords are powerful Wizards, with an arsenal of spells at their disposal – not only that, but each of them can re-roll failed casting attempts for one particular spell. Skreech Verminking, for instance, always knows, and re-rolls failed attempts for, the Dreaded Thirteenth Spell. This means you can structure your battle plans around casting this spell with confidence.

Skitter-scurry, quick-fast: Verminlords have an impressive Move of 8”, meaning they can hurtle across the battlefield. Perfect for getting into sneak-stabbing positions behind your enemies, ready for a sneaky charge from behind, making sure you are in perfect spell-casting positions, or just staying out of harm’s reach and avoiding shooting or any fights that your sneaky rat daemons just don’t fancy.

Fight-fight, kill-stab. Considering they are such powerful Wizards, the Verminlords are also impressive fighters. Their doom glaives are great for gutting most foes (everyone should fear a doom glaive, a few good hits can kill a Dragon or carve chunks out of a unit of Ogres). Also, with Initiative 10, Verminlords are lightning-fast, and can usually stab several holes in their enemies long before a return blow is ever landed (except for pesky-pesky quick-cheat Elves and the like). Look to single out lone models or issue challenges you can win quickly before moving on.

POWER OF FIVE

We’ve spent a while in the bunker trying to work out which Verminlord is our favourite. In the end, like the Council of Thirteen, we simply couldn’t agree. Skitterleaping around with a Deceiver and hurling the doomstar at nearby enemy hordes seems very tempting, but so does hacking chunks out of units with a Corruptor or Warbringer. In the end, we think it comes down to your personal choice of Skaven – and the kinds of magical powers you want to unleash.

Of course, at only 500 to 650 points each, and with End Times games allowing you to choose more Lords than ever, who’s to say you have to choose just one?

VERMINLORD DECEIVERS
500 POINTS

A Verminlord Deceiver can be included in a Skaven army.
His points cost counts towards your Lords allowance.

MAGIC:

A Verminlord Deceiver is a Level 4 Wizard. One of his spells must be Skitterleap; the remainder of his spells can be generated from the Skaven Spells of Ruin or Plague in any combination.

SPECIAL RULES:

Immune to Psychology, Large Target, Scurry Away!, Terror.

Daemonic Attacks: Attacks made by a model with this special rule are magical. This includes any special, ranged or Stomp attacks they make.

Protection of the Horned Rat: A model with this special rule has a 5+ ward save.

Rat Daemon: A Verminlord Deceiver is a Daemon, and is affected by any rules, abilities, weapons, spells and so on that affect Daemons. He may never be the Army General.

Shrouded in Darkness: Enemy units that target a Verminlord Deceiver with a shooting attack suffer a -1 To Hit modifier in addition to any other modifiers.

Shadowstrider: A Verminlord Deceiver can re-roll failed casting attempts when attempting to cast Skitterleap, and can choose itself as the target of this spell.

MAGIC ITEMS:

Warpstiletto: Magic Weapon. Attacks made with this weapon have the Armour Piercing and Poisoned Attacks special rules.

Doomstar: Magic Weapon. This is a ranged weapon with the following profile:

Range
12”

Strength
User

Special Rules
Arcing Death,
Poisoned Attacks,
Quick to Fire

Arcing Death: A weapon with this special rule makes as many shots as the number of models in the front rank of the target unit that are within range.

VERMINLORD CORRUPTORS
500 points

A Verminlord Corruptor can be included in a Skaven army.
His points cost counts towards your Lords allowance.

MAGIC:

A Verminlord Corruptor is a Level 4 Wizard. One of his spells must be Plague; the remainder of his spells can be generated from the Skaven Spells of Ruin or Plague in any combination.

SPECIAL RULES:

Immune to Psychology, Frenzy, Large Target, Scurry Away!, Terror.

Daemonic Attacks: Attacks made by a model with this special rule are magical. This includes any special, ranged or Stomp attacks they make.

Plaguemaster: A Verminlord Corruptor can re-roll failed casting attempts when attempting to cast Plague.

Protection of the Horned Rat: A model with this special rule has a 5+ ward save.

Rat Daemon: A Verminlord Corruptor is a Daemon, and is affected by any rules, abilities, weapons, spells and so on that affect Daemons. He may never be the Army General.

MAGIC ITEMS:

Plaguereapers: Magic Weapon. Paired Weapons. Attacks made with these weapons have the Always Strikes First special rule.

VERMINLORD WARBRINGERS
550 points

A Verminlord Warbringer can be included in a Skaven army.
His points cost counts towards your Lords allowance.

MAGIC:

A Verminlord Warbringer is a Level 4 Wizard. One of his spells must be Death Frenzy; the remainder of his spells can be generated from the Skaven Spells of Ruin or Plague in any combination.

SPECIAL RULES:

Immune to Psychology, Large Target, Scurry Away!, Terror.

Daemonic Attacks: Attacks made by a model with this special rule are magical. This includes any special, ranged or Stomp attacks they make.

Protection of the Horned Rat: A model with this special rule has a 5+ ward save.

Rat Daemon: A Verminlord Warbringer is a Daemon, and is affected by any rules, abilities, weapons, spells and so on that affect Daemons. He may never be the Army General.

Verminous Fury: A Verminlord Warbringer can re-roll failed casting attempts when attempting to cast Death Frenzy.

MAGIC ITEMS:

Doom Glaive and Punch-dagger: Magic Weapon. Paired Weapons. Attacks made with these weapons have the Killing Blow and Multiple Wounds (D3) special rules.

There are few sights more revolting and more unnatural than a Verminlord, a Daemon of the Homed Rat. These horrific creatures exude an aura of might, creeping decay, and inscrutable knowledge, for they are nothing less than the power of the Great Horned One made manifest. A Verminlord is at once majestic and disgusting, a living icon of ruin, the ultimate scavenger. Although such a being towers in height, it is lithe and quick, its movements evoking the fluid, yet twitchy, scuttling of rats.

The Grey Seers hold the keys to summon the Verminlords and they keep the rituals secret. Only at times of great need will the Grey Seers attempt to tear the veil of reality and they are loath to do so, fearing to summon up what they cannot dismiss. A Verminlord is wiser and more wicked than any living Skaven and yet it retains its lust for power and its treacherous love of betrayal. A bargain struck with one of the Verminlords will bring great power to the supplicant, but the cost will be terrible…

VERMINLORD WARPSEERS
500 points

A Verminlord Warpseer can be included in a Skaven army.
His points cost counts towards your Lords allowance.

MAGIC:

A Verminlord Warpseer is a Level 4 Wizard. One of his spells must be Warp Lightning; the remainder of his spells can be generated from the Skaven Spells of Ruin or Plague in any combination.

SPECIAL RULES:

Immune to Psychology, Large Target, Scurry Away!, Terror.

Daemonic Attacks: Attacks made by a model with this special rule are magical. This includes any special, ranged or Stomp attacks they make.

Master of Lightning: A Verminlord Warpseer can re-roll failed casting attempts when attempting to cast Warp Lightning. Furthermore, he always counts as rolling a 6 when determining how many hits the spell causes.

Protection of the Horned Rat: A model with this special rule has a 5+ ward save.

Rat Daemon: A Verminlord Warpseer is a Daemon, and is affected by any rules, abilities, weapons, spells and so on that affect Daemons. He may never be the Army General.

MAGIC ITEMS:

Doom Glaive: Magic Weapon. Attacks made with this weapon have the Multiple Wounds (D3) special rule.

Scry-orb: Enchanted Item. A Verminlord Warpseer has a +1 bonus to its ward save while it carries this item. Once per game, in the Shooting phase, you may choose to throw the Scry-orb. If you do so, the bonus to its ward save is immediately lost for the rest of the game.

To throw the Scry-orb, place the small round template with its centre anywhere within 12” of the Verminlord Warpseer and within its line of sight. Scatter the template using the scatter dice and a D6. Models touched by the template must pass an Initiative test or be destroyed, with no saves of any kind allowed. Remember that a 6 is always a failure. “Look Out Sir!” works as normal.

LORD SKREECH VERMINKING
650 points

Lord Skreech Verminking can be included in a Skaven army.
His points cost counts towards your Lords allowance.

MAGIC:

Skreech Verminking is a Level 4 Wizard. One of his spells must be The Dreaded Thirteenth Spell; the remainder of his spells can be generated from the Skaven Spells of Ruin or Plague in any combination.

SPECIAL RULES:

Immune to Psychology, Large Target, Scurry Away!, Terror.

Daemonic Attacks: Attacks made by a model with this special rule are magical. This includes any special, ranged or Stomp attacks they make.

Master of Ruin: Skreech Verminking re-rolls failed casting attempts when attempting to cast The Dreaded Thirteenth Spell.

Protection of the Horned Rat: A model with this special rule has a 5+ ward save.

Rat Daemon: Skreech Verminking is a Daemon, and is affected by any rules, abilities, weapons, spells and so on that work against Daemons. He may never be the Army General.

Ruinous Arsenal: Skreech Verminking is armed with two Magic Weapons: a Doom Glaive and a Plaguereaper. At the start of each Close Combat phase, you must declare which weapon he is going to use for that turn.

MAGIC ITEMS:

Doom Glaive: Magic Weapon. Attacks made with this weapon have the Multiple Wounds (D3) special rule.

Plaguereaper: Magic Weapon. Attacks made with this weapon have the Always Strikes First special rule.

Paint Splatter provides handy tips and stage-by-stage painting guides for the week’s key releases. This week we look at Lord Skreech Verminking.

Lord Skreech is foremost among the Verminlords, entrusted (if anything Skaven can ever be trusted) with advancing the race’s diabolical plans. Although each Verminlord has a slightly different colour scheme, you can use many of the colours and techniques (especially armour, horns, skull, bones, warpstone and so forth) on any Verminlord you choose to paint.

The prized glory of every Verminlord is his regal crown of horns, and Skreech Verminking has an especially grand set curling from his brow. By drybrushing these for stages 3 to 5 you build up great tones, and the final drybrush acts as a guide for the highlight you add in the final stage. When you are doing drybrushing like this, work your brush in the direction that goes with the ridges, so that the recesses stay free from paint.

Another feature of Lord Skreech is the warpstone set into his doom glaive and the bracelet on his wrist. Warpstone is a hard, shiny surface and you can reflect this in your painting by keeping the edges on your highlights hard. The best way to do this is to use a Fine Detail Brush, and carefully trace the natural lines on the model – if you look at the examples on the left, the layers in stages 3, 4 and 5 are all very accurate. Don’t load your brush with too much paint, and follow the sculpted lines carefully. The same principle applies when painting the runes set into Skreech’s armour. The Warpstone Glow in stage 1 should cover the area around the runes a little, but stages 2 and 3 should be as precise as you can manage.

EYES

The method used on Skreech’s eyes is a great example of how a simple technique can yield great results. Essentially these were painted with only two brush strokes. Because it’s very precise work, you want to use your most precise tool, so get a Fine Detail Brush and prepare the bristles by rolling them to a point. Then make sure you only load paint on the very tip, rather than loading the paint all the way up the bristles. Paint straight onto the eye, with one careful motion.

Next week: brains and brawn.

Join us for a round-up of the week as we share comment, opinion and trivia on all the latest releases, plus other fun tidbits that have cropped up in the White Dwarf bunker. This week, unholy summonings, noble ascensions, bearded Wolf Lords and a big green drill.

THE DESIGNERS OF THE VERMINLORDS SQUEAK-TELL

When the design team started work on the new Verminlord models, they knew they had to be huge, towering over the Skaven that scurried beneath them. More importantly, they had to look different to their followers, not scaled-up rats or big versions of the Skaven themselves. They’re god-like and agile, not hunched and snivelling, with long, powerful legs and a muscular physique. They also don’t fight like the Skaven, who wield knives, cleavers and handmade spears in desperation. Instead they carry finely-wrought doom glaives, a quarterstaff that they wield with finesse and deadly skill. The Skaven fear them, but they also admire them. That is as it should be – they are, after all, an incarnation of the Great Horned Rat, moulded in his image.

Of particular importance is their tail – or, rather, tails. It’s long been said that anything with two tails in the Warhammer world is something to be feared or worshipped. The twin-tailed comet of Sigmar, for example, or the twin-tailed Oracles of Sotek. It signifies the Verminlords as a great force of change in the world. You don’t need us to tell you whether it’s a force for good or evil…

THE LITTLE DETAILS

Four things you may not have noticed about the Verminlords (and pictures to prove it):

1, The plaguereaper carried by Skreech is the same shape as his horns. They’re deliberately sickle-like, ready to reap the souls of the living.

2, Half of Skreech’s face is missing, revealing his skull beneath. This is a nod to the original Verminlord model that came out in the 1990s.

3, Every armour plate on the Verminlords is triangular, a link to the three-pointed rune of the Great Horned Rat.

4, There are five tiny rats scurrying around the ruins beneath their feet.

There are many horrors lurking in the deep places and dungeons of Skavenblight and clan strongholds throughout the world, from hulking Hell Pit Abominations to Wolf Rats or even Brood Horrors. For the Skaven, most of these conjure feelings of cautious delight – they are a physical manifestation of the Skaven race’s cunning, and a brutish weapon ready to be unleashed upon the enemy. Not so the Verminlords of the Great Horned Rat. These daemon-creatures are not created in dank laboratories, where cruel surgeries combine flesh and machine, nor are they bred in the barbaric breeding pits of Clan Moulder, for Verminlords are daemons and they do not belong in the world, and only a summoning ritual of incredible power can drag one onto the mortal plane. These rituals are far from common, for they are fraught with peril and not even the supremely arrogant Grey Seers truly believe they can fully bind a Verminlord to their will – at best they can corral it, for a time. Typically such a ritual of summoning will involve a great deal of chanting by many Grey Seers, and they are often enhanced and expedited with copious oblations, typically costing the officiating Grey Seers a great many slaves.

With the ritual complete (which will take, at a minimum, many hours), the Grey Seers will be confronted by a towering otherworldly horror whose very existence defies nature. Then comes the supernal battle of wills as they seek to bend the Verminlord’s will to their own, all the while challenged by the fact that the Verminlord cares only for his master’s plans, and will trick, beguile, threaten and kill anyone to achieve it.

FORGOTTEN GODS

Fantasy Flight Games have recently announced their first book-length adventure supplement for Dark Heresy II: Forgotten Gods. The adventure hurls your party into a dark conspiracy involving sinister cults, greedy smuggling cartels and a deadly trade in forbidden xenos artefacts. The events in Forgotten Gods carry on directly from the storyline in the Dark Heresy II rulebook and The Game Master’s kit. It promises to be a good one.

More info at: fantasyflightgames.com

THANQUOL’S MISTAKE

Of the many examples of a Skaven failing to summon a Verminlord, one of the more spectacular calamities occurred when Thanquol attempted to summon one of the rat daemons in the midst of the Dwarf invasion of Fester Spike. Thanquol’s summoning ritual didn’t merely fail to yield the expected results, and grant the Skaven a towering daemon to fight on their behalf, but summoned the daemonic legion of Skarbrand, the Exiled Bloodthirster of Khorne, instead. Skarbrand was most certainly not the help Thanquol was looking for, and Thanquol only just managed to escape with his life – unlike many of the Dwarfs and Thanquol’s fellow Skaven.

All the writing about the Skaven and Verminlords this week has put the White Dwarf team into the mood to delve further into the relentless ratmen and their quest for global domination. Around the office recommendations for the best Skaven novel have been rolling in thick and fast.

“Grey Seer by C L Werner is the one you must sniff-sniff scry-scry,” says a Dwarfer with a maniacal glint in his eye. (We think he means ‘read’.) “It has the best-laid plans, the most diabolical schemes and stars the fan-favourite villain of the Gotrek and Felix novels, the failure-prone Grey Seer Thanquol.”

Of course, if you prefer to see your Skaven getting put to the sword, you could always read the Black Plague novels, starting with Dead Winter, also by C L Werner. These novels see the rise of one of the Empire’s greatest heroes. All these and more are available as eBooks from blacklibrary.com

We’ve been squabbling in the White Dwarf bunker for a while now about how a Targeting Squig works. Does it advise the Ork? Is it linked to the gun (it does have wires) or is its value only psychological? Either way, we love.

Notes from the worlds of Warhammer. This week: infestations.

THE BLACK PLAGUE

In the early 1100s the Skaven initiated a plan to overrun the Empire with a particularly deadly disease, known as the Black Plague. Uncounted thousands were lost to the illness and the Skaven, emboldened to stalk the land openly. Eventually, Middenheim rose to pre-eminence as the principle Imperial stronghold and, under the leadership of Count Mandred, not only survived the plague, but saw off the massive Skaven army that attempted to besiege it. The count went on to launch a crusade against the Skaven, sweeping them from the land and was crowned Emperor.

THE PLAINS WORLD

Dark Angels legend tells of a detachment of Deathwing who returned to a favoured recruiting ground of their Chapter, only to find it utterly changed and unwelcoming. Further investigation revealed that a Genestealer infestation of deadly proportions had taken hold across almost the entire planet. The Dark Angels, led by Captain Ezekiel and Librarian Lucian, fought against the invaders in a battle that cost all of the Dark Angels, except their Captain, their lives. Ezekiel alone remained to remember their loss and recall their story. Some speculate that, rather than a historical account of a Chapter action, this tale is allegorical, and may instead refer to an event in the Dark Angels’ history that they wish to shield from prying eyes.

THE HRUD RISING

In 980.M35, an Imperium-wide effort to purge the galaxy of a sizeable Hrud infestation drew in Space Marines and Astra Militarum alike. Famously the Dark Angels departed without explanation, earning the ire of the Ultramarines…

The White Dwarf team is a font of hobby knowledge, a metaphorical repository of useful facts. If you have a question about Warhammer 40,000 or Warhammer, need a bit of painting advice or you’re after a few tactical tips, drop us a line:

team@whitedwarf.co.uk

ANYTHING BUT A ONE…

Oh, noble forebear, I have a problem. Whenever I play games, my dice always roll really badly. Am I doing something wrong or am I just unlucky?
- Tommy ‘welcome in Vegas’ Jones

GROMBRINDAL SAYS

An unusual question this one. Are you sure you don’t want to ask me something about hitting Elves or drinking beer? No? Very well, then.

The problem with dice is they’re creatures of Chaos and therefore not to be trusted. They lure you in, making you think that they’re on your side, coming up sixes every time. Before you know it you’re praising them, giving them comfy dwellings, letting them take pride of place on your shelves. You may even have a favourite for particularly important rolls. It’s all a ruse. When you least expect it they’ll betray you, stab you in the back and take everything you hold dear. They just started early with you, Tommy.
- Grombrindal

Our Reader’s Model of the week is not one, but three models, a trio of Chaos Space Marine Terminators painted by Daniel Jackson.

Having devoted himself entirely to the teachings of Lorgar, Daniel has painted his Terminators as Word Bearers, even going so far as to sculpt flaming skulls onto their shoulder pads. Apparently they’re part of a much larger army preparing to invade the Imperium of Man and spread their diabolical teachings. You’ve been warned.

If you’ve painted a miniature that you think is worthy of a place in White Dwarf then why not send a picture to:
team@whitedwarf.co.uk

If it’s something we can use, we’ll be sure to get in touch.

The claw-markings of the Skaven are laced with intricate meaning, for those mad enough to decipher them. Carved into the centre of the Warpseer’s scry-orb is a new rune, never seen before the onset of the End Times. It’s almost like the mark of the Great Horned Rat has grown new horns… Whatever could it mean?

The Skaven are renowned for their wonder weapons, but none are more undeniably bonkers than the Warp-grinder. Essentially a high-powered drill with a ‘bit’ fashioned from a conical shard of warpstone, the Warp-grinder tunnels beneath the enemy to launch surprise attacks. Once in the fray, the warp-grinder acts as a weaponised pneumatic drill, grinding and boring through shields and scaly hides like a hot knife through soft cheese.

The warband of Jarl Deathgranter, the Axeman of Russ, is one of the more notorious Imperial forces currently fighting in the Khadenghast campaign. These stoic Space Wolves have been engaged in bitter fighting to purge the claustrophobic confines of the Khadenghast’s hab-sprawl of renegade militia. In a series of bloody battles, the Riders of Morkai, a close-knit pack of Thunderwolf Cavalry, have torn ragged chunks from the traitor formations, heralding the advance of Asgeir’s Grey Hunter pack and their Rhino, Svellrenna.

Although official reports of their actions are incomplete, it seems that these Space Wolves are unconcerned about securing mission-critical objectives and have simply taken it upon themselves to utterly eradicate the enemy instead.

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