ISSUE 79
01 AUGUST 2015

GAMES-WORKSHOP.COM

BLACKLIBRARY.COM

FORGEWORLD.COM

The Wrath of the Heavens is come – the Stormcast Eternals Paladins arrive and Sigmar’s vengeance is unleashed upon the Mortal Realms! The warriors of the Paladin Conclave are foremost amongst the Stormcast Eternals and count Retributors, Decimators and Protectors among their number. You can build any of the three from this brand new kit and we’ve got a first look at each of these devastating new units in New Releases. With Paint Splatter and the warscrolls, we’ve got everything you need.

On top of that, we look at the forces of Death in the Age of Sigmar, denizens of the underworlds and minions of a terrible – and rather familiar – power…

And, exciting news, this year’s Armies on Parade starts right now! If you want to take part in this painting, modelling and collecting extravaganza – or if you’ve never heard of it and want the complete lowdown – we take a look at the plans of four Armies on Parade veterans.

Retributors are the bringers of Sigmar’s vengeance, the wrath of the heavens in physical form. Wreathed in celestial lightning, a strike from their sigmarite hammers can blast a foe asunder, the detonation booming like a thunder-clap. Woe betide any who stand before the Retributors.

Of all Sigmar’s warriors, few are as feared as the Retributors of the Paladin Conclave. Striding purposefully into battle, they smash their lightning hammers through the ranks of the enemy army with impunity, every impact like a crash of thunder.

Each of the five Retributors in this multi-part plastic kit wields a unique lightning hammer and there are parts in the box to arm one of their number with a starsoul mace that burns with the light of Sigendil the High Star. Like all Stormcast Eternals, the Retributors wear ornate battle plate, their pauldrons bearing personalised roundels and their helms cast to resemble a lightning strike. You also have the option of building a Retributor-Prime, who has a lion-faced shoulder guard, a plumed helm, a leonine greave and a parchment-wreathed lightning hammer. But that’s not all you can do with this kit…

Above: Confronted by a horde of battle-mad Bloodreavers and a blood-hungry Khorgorath, the Retributors call on the power of the storm to charge their lightning hammers with celestial energy.

Left: The sigmarite helms worn by Retributors are crowned with lightning bolts. Like all Stormcast Eternals, their features are hidden behind these impassive masks.

Left centre: The seven Retributor heads in the kit have ball joints, enabling you to create different poses.

Right centre: The plumed helm of the Retributor-Prime.

Right: Each Retributor carries a reliquary on his back, though their contents remains a mystery…

Left & centre: Each lightning hammer features the comet and lightning bolt icons of Sigmar.

Right: The head of the starsoul mace glows with celestial energy. So powerful is the impact of a starsoul mace that even the toughest armour cannot hold against it.

In the face of overwhelming odds the Decimators stand firm, their thunderaxes cleaving through the enemy like a scythe through chaff. Of all the Paladins, the Decimators are the most implacable, for there is little honour in their grim mission, only never-ending slaughter.

Decimators, like their Retributor brethren, are members of the Paladin Conclave, a body of exceptionally gifted warriors in an army of mighty heroes. Armed with razor-sharp thunderaxes, they wade into the ranks of the enemy army, only halting their murderous advance when the enemy lie dead at their feet or fleeing in terror. Though not the most honourable of tasks, they take to it with grim efficiency, their arrow-headed blades glittering as they cleave through ratmen, savage orruks and ravening Bloodreavers.

Built from the same plastic kit as the Retributors, the Decimators highlight the huge number of modelling options in this kit. The five shown here include a Decimator-Prime, though you can build five regular Decimators should you wish to form a truly mighty retinue of Decimators. The arms, legs, torsos, reliquaries and heads for each Decimator are compatible with each other, too, enabling you to build them in a variety of menacing poses, be it striding into battle or thunderaxe arced back ready for that decapitating strike.

Left & centre left: A halo of gilded spikes surrounds a Decimator’s helm. Some also feature a lightning bolt on the forehead.

Centre right: The helmet worn by the Decimator-Prime has two halos, marking him out as the leader.

Right: A Decimator’s right pauldron is unadorned, leaving space to apply the crescent moon icon of the Paladin Conclaves. These are supplied as black and white transfers in the set.

Above: Unfazed by the horde of encroaching foes, the Decimators prepare to slaughter them to a man. Only the lucky or craven will escape their attention and, even then, not for long…

Protectors are blade-masters without peer, as skilled in defence as they are on the attack. Marching at the head of the Stormhost, they can turn aside arrows in mid-flight with a flick of their stormstrike glaives or slice apart a marauding monster with clinical precision.

Of all the Paladin Retinues, the Protectors are perhaps the most specialised. Carving the air before them with stormstrike glaives, they weave celestial runes that form a magical shield of protection. Arrows and bolts simply glance off it or fall to the ground, their energy spent, while the Protectors march on unharmed. Upon reaching the enemy they turn their glaives to another purpose, using them to pierce, skewer and slice the foe, a fighting style that has seen many monsters and great beasts fall before they can even retaliate.

The Protectors come from the same plastic kit as the Decimators and Retributors and, like their brother Paladins, they carry unique wargear and wear distinctive helms. Of the 21 heads in the kit, seven are Paladin helms, the bridge of their mask bearing the sword emblem of their order, while in their armoured hands they carry deadly stormstrike glaives. One Protector can be armed with a starsoul mace that can be wielded either left or right-handed, while a second Protector can be built as a Prime carrying a script-engraved blade.

Above: A Khorgorath is cornered by a retinue of Protectors in the ruins of an Ophidian Archway. Lashing out with bone tentacles and vicious claws, there is little the beast can do but accept its fate as the Protectors close in, stormstrike glaives ready to deliver the killing blow.

Above: Protector helms feature a blade running down the centre. There are seven in the kit.

Left: The Protector-Prime’s helmet is engraved with ancient text…

Centre & right: …which can also be seen on the parchment hanging from his reliquary and the haft of the stormstrike glaive he carries into battle.

Above: The blade of a stormstrike glaive is wrought with powerful symbols that protect the wielder from harm and bring death to even the largest of his foes.

Above: The Protector-Prime’s glaive has ancient words of power inscribed along its length.

Though long fallen into disrepair, the ruined walls of the Numinous Occulum still glow with eldritch power, a physical link between the Mortal Realms and the dark sorcery that surrounds them. Its inner walls bear murals carved by ancient races, while the outer walls are studded with celestial icons. The main feature of this modular plastic kit is the Occulum itself, an iron-wrought globe held aloft by two mythical beasts. By standing inside it, a wizard may tap into the magic that flows around the building, enhancing his own power and nullifying the enemy’s fell sorcery.

Above: The flooring inside the Numinous Occulum features the holy symbol of the Sigmarabulus. The floors are detailed on both sides, just like the flooring in the Ophidian Archway, enabling you to combine the two modular sets into one large building. See page 29 for an example of a building built from the two kits.

You’ll find the warscroll for the Numinous Occulum in the box along with the plastic kit.

A Dragonfate Dais is a site of ancient power where devout warriors and priests may beseech their chosen deity for power, strength and knowledge. Shackled to the ground by a ruined staircase, the dais floats ominously above the physical realm, its five draconic pillars glowing with the light of ancient gods. Beneath the dais, a pool of blood roils with dark energy, its malefic power contained by stones that bear inscriptions similar to those seen on the Stormcast Eternals. Even amidst the Mortal Realms, the Dragonfate Dais stands out a fantastically sinister centrepiece.

Above: From above you can see the design on the top of the dais, which resembles a stylised dragon’s eye. Look closely and you can see a pool of boiling blood bubbling beneath the dais, a painful (but mercifully quick) demise for anyone foolish enough to fall through the grating.

You’ll find the warscroll for the Dragonfate Dais in the boxed set along with the plastic kit.

Though ravaged by Nurgle’s plagues, life still prevails in the depths of Ghyran, shrouded by mist and magic. Here the Sylvaneth lurk, eager to strike back at their vile oppressors.

As the foetid legions of the Plaguefather despoil the lands of Ghyran, the Sylvaneth rise up once more to challenge their hated foes. Representing the armies that fight in the Greenglades, this boxed set contains 32 plastic Dryads, a resin Branchwraith and three plastic Treelords, which can alternatively be built as Treelord Ancients or the Spirit of Durthu.

(You can find the warscroll for the mighty Durthu in the Wood Elves Warscroll Compendium, which you can download for free from www.games-workshop.com.)

By Nick Kyme, Guy Haley and Josh Reynolds | Hardback | 304 pages

The Realmgate Wars have begun in earnest, as Sigmar’s Stormcast Eternals unleash his vengeance.

Upon bolts of righteous lightning, the Stormcast Eternals have been loosed to smite the scions of Chaos. War Storm contains three new stories set within the Realmgate Wars.

‘Borne by the Storm’ by Nick Kyme follows on from the action in the Gates of Azyr as Vandus Hammerhand seeks out his foe, Korghos Khul. It’s a stirring tale of honour and duty and examines the meaning of death for the valiant Stormcast Eternals. In ‘Storm of Blades’ Guy Haley introduces the Celestial Vindicators and their gruelling fight in Chamon, while Josh Reynolds’s ‘The Gates of Dawn’ pits the Hallowed Knights against the scions of Nurgle. In each, the events of the Realmgate Wars are brought vividly to life.

The stories in War Storm delve into the action and adventures of the Age of Sigmar, and the first tale in the new book even connects directly to Gates of Azyr released a few weeks ago. If you want more full-on combat, and to learn everything about the Age of Sigmar, Gates of Azyr is a great book to add to your collection. There’s even a small excerpt in the back of War Storm, if you want to wet your whistle.

Learn more at www.blacklibrary.com.

The Age of Sigmar has begun and as the Stormhosts of the Stormcast Eternals assail the Mortal Realms, beleaguered defenders find hope renewed and what resistance remains to the reign of Chaos is suddenly resurgent. In Ghyran, the Sylvaneth spring to life…

The Realm of Life is besieged by Chaos. In the Jade Kingdoms of Ghyran, where Alarielle had once brought forth life – treefolk and aelf alike – there now festers disease. Nurgle covets the realm, and his plagues have ravaged the land as his minions have despoiled the kingdoms of the peoples that once dwelt there. But the seeds of revenge have been planted and a new spirit of hope has at last taken root.

As the Stormcast Eternals of the Hallowed Knights enter the Realm of Life to wage the God-King’s war against Chaos, they find the Sylvaneth – the treefolk of Ghyran – yet unbowed. Treelords and their Ancients fight on, yet to succumb to the Plague God’s maladies; Branchwraiths, the priestesses and prophetesses of the Wyldwoods, summon forth Dryads, malevolent forest spirits whose susurrating songs spell death for those who would defile the Realm of Life. Ghyran is alive once more with the destructive force of the living forest; the keening battlecries of the Sylvaneth are heard again, promising death for the despoiler. And now you can recruit the Sylvaneth to bolster your own war against Chaos!

You’ll find warscrolls for these units in their boxes, and you can download the warscroll for the Branchwraith right now from
www.games-workshop.com.

THE TALE OF THE SYLVANETH

Don’t forget the Sylvaneth feature prominently in the Warhammer Age of Sigmar book, where you’ll find more on the war raging in the Realm of Life, including battleplans for some of the most exciting battles of the war, as well as lovely full colour warscrolls for all the Sylvaneth units.

Not only that, but the book also includes the warscroll for the Sylvaneth Wyldwood, a warscroll battalion for the Guardians of the Deepwood, and Time of War rules for fighting in the Realm of Life itself. Check it out now!

Across the Mortal Realms tendrils of pure necromancy creep forth with the inevitability of death as Nagash, the Supreme Lord of the Undead, rises once again. An ancient evil, Nagash seeks utter dominion not just of Shyish, the Realm of Death, but all of the Mortal Realms.

Above: Urged on by the inexorable power of their necromantic overlord, the vast legions of Deathrattle Warriors, ravenous Ghouls and fell spirits hurl themselves at the gilded Stormcast Eternals.

The undead are a force unlike any other, a numberless foe spurred on by the implacable will of their master, Nagash, overlord of the Amethyst Realm. Across each of the embattled Mortal Realms this chill influence can be felt, permeating the very ground as the dead forsake their tombs to rise again. Their one true purpose is to impose the merciless, uncaring order of the dead upon all existence, driven towards this cruel goal by the unbending and immortal will of their relentless master, Nagash.

The armies of death are vast beyond measure, for war within the Mortal Realms has been waged relentlessly since the Age of Myth, and the corpse-mounds of ancient battles serve as recruiting grounds for the forces of Death. Endless armies of Deathrattle Warriors stride forth to do their master’s dark will, bleached bones clattering and grinding with every step. Mouldering corpses left to decay on abandoned battlefields are reanimated to become the shambling, mouldering hordes known as Deadwalkers. Spectral hosts of wraiths and shades haunt the fell places of the world, cursing the unwary to a terrifying demise.

Nagash is a name that resonates from the time before the Age of Chaos, and even the Age of Myth. Indeed, when Sigmar discovered Nagash buried deep in the underworlds of the Amethyst Realm, the God-King already knew him. In ages past they had been mortal enemies, for Sigmar had bested the Necromancer, obliterating his physical body for a time. But circumstances can change and thus, as the Chaos Gods sought to sunder the world-that-was, their cause was united for a time.

During the Age of Myth, the God-King and the Supreme Lord of Undeath were similarly aligned, for Nagash craved order as much as Sigmar. Together with the pantheon of gods Sigmar had assembled, they tamed much of the Mortal Realms, legions of tireless undead erecting defensive edifices wherever the forces of Order were assailed. In the end, however, the disparate desires of Nagash and Sigmar could not be permanently reconciled. During the Age of Chaos, when victory for the forces of Order looked possible, the undead legions turned their weapons against Sigmar’s warriors, some say to gain favour from the Chaos gods themselves. Whatever Nagash’s wishes, the result was devastating. With Sigmar’s alliance broken, his forces were routed and the legions of Chaos swept aside the last bastions of resistance from the Mortal Realms. If Nagash had hoped to spare the Amethyst Realm the same fate, he was in turn betrayed as the Skaven exploded into Shyish from the Realm of Chaos. The Barrow Wars between Nagash’s legions and the forces of Chaos were long and brutal but, in the end, Nagash was slain, his remains spirited away by his Mortarchs.

And so he remained until the reopening of the Starless Gates – for Nagash has arisen once more, and none shall stay his hand.

Above: When Nagash returned from beyond the Starless Gates he launched an all-out offensive against the forces of Chaos infesting the Realm of Shyish. If the Chaos Gods had thought Nagash’s power broken with the conquest of the Realm of Death and the destruction of his Black Pyramid, they were gravely mistaken. Soon shambling Deathrattle Warriors fought mighty Chaos Warriors and bat-winged horrors battled the mutated beasts of Chaos.

Above: Resplendent in his necromantic glory, Nagash leads his merciless Morghasts to war, flanked by the ghostly Nighthaunt Wraiths and Spirit Hosts.

At the dawn of the Age of Sigmar, the Realm of Shyish lies ablaze, the forces of Chaos all but triumphant in their conquest. But even so, Nagash’s plans have not been utterly thwarted. Many times through the ages the Great Necromancer’s plans have been set back, but each time he has arisen again, breaking the chains of death with his dark magic. Nagash has usurped the guardians and deities of the underworlds, and even now he claims lordship of the Realm of Shyish, from the Seven Abyssal Pits to the Desert of Bones and beyond. Even as Sigmar’s Stormcast Eternals unleash the thunderous wrath of their God-King against the scions of Chaos, the Great Necromancer has commenced an attack of his own. A terrible invocation echoes out across the realms, spreading eldritch tendrils of necromancy to awaken the dead wherever they lie. From the Fireglades and the Magma Hills in Aqshy to the Spirelights of high Hysh, death rises. Nighthaunt Spirits spread their dread evil, even as ancient cairns and mass graves burst upon to unleash Deathrattle Warriors and Deadwalkers, beckoned on by hunched, sallow-faced Deathmages and the majestic monstrosities the Soulblight Vampires.

The dead now fight for dominion of their own, feasting on the fear of their foes and sating their infernal appetites on the life essence of their victims. Readily they go to battle with all who oppose Nagash’s right to rule, laying siege to the last bastions of aelf and duardin, battling the teeming Skaven war packs and waging grinding war against the Rotbringers infesting the realm of the dead. The forces besieging the underworld of Stygxx have already been destroyed and now Nagash casts his eyes further afield, determined to seize Realmgates that will allow his legions to travel between realms uncontested.

Above: At the head of relentless Deathrattle Legions, Nagash’s Mortarchs have returned to aid their master. Such is their power that only the greatest champions of the Dark Gods can oppose them. Woe betide any of the free peoples who seek to defy their immortal will.

Above: Once a member of Sigmar’s great alliance, Nagash turned against the God-King in a betrayal that has never been forgiven. Since that time, the undead legions of the great necromancer have battled tirelessly, not just to preserve Shyish from the invading forces of Chaos, but to assert the remorseless order of the dead upon each of the Mortal Realms, until all existence bends before Nagash’s indomitable will.

Paint Splatter provides handy tips and stage-by-stage painting guides for the week’s key releases. This week: the new Stormcast Eternal Paladins.

Stormcast Eternal Paladins are mighty warriors clad in thick, ornate layers of sigmarite battle armour. Here we focus on painting them in the colours of the Hammers of Sigmar Stormhost. To this end, you’ll be using a lot of Retributor Armour, and you might find it easiest and quickest to basecoat the entire model with Retributor Armour spray – if you do this, we strongly recommend giving the model a couple of lighter coatings of spray rather than doing one thick layer. This way the paint settles beautifully, and gives you a nice, smooth base to add colours to.

Another good piece of advice when painting models that have lots of metallic areas, is to make sure you wash metallic paints from your brushes in a different water pot to your other colours. Some painters keep two mugs of water on their desk for just this reason, one for metallics and one for everything else – this ensures that the tiny sparkling flecks that wash from your brush don’t get into your other colours. The most important thing to remember though, is to wash your brushes thoroughly between colours to make sure that you get the best possible results.

The Warhammer Age of Sigmar Painting Guide is the ultimate painting tutorial for your Stormcast Eternals. A whopping instructional book that not only details how to paint all the Stormcast Eternals and Khorne warriors you’ll find in the new starter set, it’s also loaded with brilliant background information and stories.

NEXT WEEK: black highlights!

Need a new painting challenge for the summer? Then look no further, because Armies on Parade is back! Over the next 12 weeks we’ll follow a group of experienced painters as they work on their entries, providing useful tips, ideas and inspiration along the way.

Armies on Parade is a celebration of collecting and painting Citadel miniatures, your opportunity to build and paint a new army and present it on a beautiful display board of your own making.

Anyone can take part in Armies on Parade. All you need to do is paint an army over the next 12 weeks and take it in to one of our stores on 24 October – the Parade Day. It’s that simple! The only restriction is that your army needs to fit in an area no larger than 2’ by 2’. Many use this space to create a display board for their entry. It’s a great opportunity to build and paint some scenery and it makes your army look even more epic. Here you can see three entries from last year’s Armies on Parade competition, perfect inspiration for the sort of armies you can create and, over the next 12 weeks, a group of intrepid modellers and painters will share their progress, providing even more inspiration, plus useful tips and tricks they’ve picked up along the way. Turn the page to see what they’ve created so far.

Above: The Deathwing stand vigil over a sacred pool in Stefano Paduano’s Armies on Parade entry from 2013.

Above: Hailing from Karak Eight Peaks is this Night Goblin horde built and painted by Adam McKenna. Adam pulled out all the stops to make his board as colourful as possible.

Above: Al Jacob painted this impressive Bad Moons Ork army, including plenty of ramshackle vehicles and Orkified buildings.

Jamie Forster is no stranger to painting large armies, having contributed his huge Ogre Kingdoms collection to Warhammer Visions 5 and an impressive Dwarf army for last year’s Armies on Parade.

“This year I’ve decided to paint a Nurgle amy for Warhammer Age of Sigmar,” says Jamie. “The Putrid Blightkings are incredible miniatures and I’ve been dying to paint some since they came out. Armies on Parade is just the inspiration I need to get the brushes out and start painting. I reckon a host of rancid Nurgle units backed up by some filthy Skaven from Clan Pestilens will look pretty cool.”

Unsurprisingly, Jamie’s first completed models are a filth-encrusted unit of Putrid Blightkings. “I painted them following the guide in issue 37,” says Jamie. “I love painting clean, bold, colour schemes, which I know sounds ironic considering these guys worship Nurgle, but I’m really happy with how they turned out.”

For last year’s Armies on Parade, Andy Keddie created a High Elf display based around the Lothern Sea Guard. This year he’s traded in his bows and spears for sluggas and choppas, intent on adding to his ever-growing Ork horde.

“Armies on Parade is a great opportunity to add to your existing collection with a load of newly-painted models,” says Andy. “I already have a large Ork army, but you can never have too many Boyz and this is a great way to add to the force. I find the competition deadline a great motivator to get the models I own painted.

“My plan for this year’s entry is inspired by an ongoing campaign I’ve been playing. It’s set on the planet of Huiveneras Prime where, after much head-krumpin’, the Orks have finally unified under one banner, that of the notorious Bad Moons Warboss Skagrog. I love painting the colour yellow and I reckon it will stand out really well on the display board I’m planning for them.”

As the winner of Armies on Parade 2013, Owen Patten has a reputation to live up to. Two years ago he romped to victory with an army of Daemons swarming over the ruins of an Imperial city. Now he plans to outdo his previous efforts with a Tau army and a seriously impressive display board.

“My Tau army is from the sept world of Sa’cea,” explains Owen. “I reckon the combination of blue armour and orange sept markings will look really striking against a war-torn industrial backdrop. For my board I plan to create an industrial sector rather than a military one, the sort of place where fuel, ammunition and promethium are stored. Expect plenty of pipelines and ammo crates.” To the right you can see the first of Owen’s units – a Broadside battlesuit. He used this model to test out the colour scheme for his force and even built it a scenic base to tie it to his display board. We’ll be taking a closer look at how Owen makes his bases in a future issue.

Dan Harden has entered Armies on Parade every year since it began in 2011. Over the last few months he’s been working on a new Tomb Kings army for Warhammer Age of Sigmar and sees Armies on Parade as the perfect opportunity to make it even bigger. “100 skeletons,” says Dan. “That’s the minimum number I want on my board. I want it teeming with them, like a vast Undead horde marching in unison across the desert wastes. I already have Nagash painted as the centrepiece for my force, but I loved reading about Arkhan the Black during the End Times, so I reckon he’ll also make an appearance along with as many Tomb Constructs as I can paint. I see a lot of bone-coloured drybrushing in the near future…”

An unstoppable avalanche of storm-forged sinew and gleaming sigmarite battle armour, the Retributors, Decimators and Protectors of the Paladin Conclaves are among Sigmar’s greatest champions. Here we present their rules, and advice on using them in battle.

The Paladins of the Stormcast Eternals are titanic heroes, invigorated with the power of the storm to smite Sigmar’s foes. On the tabletop they are among the Stormcast Eternals’ greatest assets. In our games we have found the Retributors, Decimators and Protectors each excel at a slightly different task, so here’s how to use them to mete out brutal justice for the God-King:

Retributors: With lightning hammers these heroes can lay waste to everything, but their speciality is killing tough, heavily armoured foes – their hammers can blast through any protection with ease.

Decimators: The thunderaxes of the Decimators can hack through swathes of enemy models and, the closer the enemy are packed together, the more deadly their thunderaxes become. Use these to wipe out massive units of enemy troops like Skaven, Grots or Skeleton Warriors.

Protectors: Part defender, part monster slayer, Protectors not only shield their brethren by cleaving enemy missiles from the sky with their stormstrike glaives, they can also butcher enemy monsters with a well-placed deathstrike. Make sure these killers are in your frontline.

GET THE WARSCROLLS

The Numinous Occulum and Dragonfate Dais, available to order this week, both have their own warscrolls for added fun in your games of Warhammer Age of Sigmar. These are both found in the box – with them you’ll soon find your warriors using the Numinous Occulum to read the skeins of fate and change the future, or offering dread sacrifices upon the Dragonfate Dais in the midst of battle.

Retributors are the wrath of the heavens made flesh. They bring swift and deadly justice to the lands of the Mortal Realms. Their Lightning Hammers are forged from ensorcelled sigmarite, and by channelling the energy of the storm they can release thunderous bursts of sky-magic that blast the foe to ash.

DESCRIPTION

A unit of Retributors has 3 or more models. They are armed with Lightning Hammers. 1 in every 5 models may instead be armed with a Starsoul Mace.

RETRIBUTOR-PRIME

The leader of this unit is the Retributor-Prime. A Retributor-Prime makes 3 attacks rather than 2 with a Lightning Hammer.

ABILITIES

Blast to Ashes: If the hit roll for a model attacking with a Lightning Hammer is 6 or more, that blow strikes with a thunderous blast that inflicts 2 mortal wounds instead of its normal damage. Do not make a wound or save roll for the attack.

Starsoul Mace: A model armed with a Starsoul Mace can make a starblast attack in each combat phase. Pick an enemy unit that is within 1” of the model with the Starsoul Mace. That unit suffers D3 mortal wounds.

KEYWORDS

ORDER, CELESTIAL, HUMAN, STORMCAST ETERNAL, PALADIN, RETRIBUTORS

Let the foe come in their teeming hordes, for there to meet them will be the Decimators. With their whirling thunderaxes, these Paladins wade into enemy formations, reaping a bloody toll with every swing. Corpses form grisly piles around the Paladins’ feet as these grim destroyers lay low rank after rank, and few foes hold for long in the face of such devastation.

DESCRIPTION

A unit of Decimators has 5 or more models. They are armed with Thunderaxes. 1 in every 5 models may instead be armed with a Starsoul Mace.

DECIMATOR-PRIME

The leader of this unit is the Decimator-Prime. Add 1 to the wound rolls for a Decimator-Prime.

ABILITIES

Cleaving Blow: A single swing of a Thunderaxe can carve through several foes. When a model attacks with a Thunderaxe, select a target unit and make one attack against it for each model it has within range.

Grim Harvesters: Fear surrounds Decimators as they set about their gory work. Add 2 to the result of battleshock tests made for enemy units that are within 6” of any Decimators.

Starsoul Mace: A model armed with a Starsoul Mace can make a starblast attack in each combat phase. Pick an enemy unit that is within 1” of the model with the Starsoul Mace. That unit suffers D3 mortal wounds.

KEYWORDS

ORDER, CELESTIAL, HUMAN, STORMCAST ETERNAL, PALADIN, DECIMATORS

Inexorable and relentless, the Protectors advance. Their stormstrike glaives weave in intricate patterns around them, creating a shield of celestial energy which casts incoming missiles aside. When they reach the enemy’s lines, their masterful bladework is turned to a deadlier purpose, dismembering lesser foes and executing leviathans alike.

DESCRIPTION

A unit of Protectors has 5 or more models. They are armed with Stormstrike Glaives. 1 in every 5 models may instead be armed with a Starsoul Mace.

PROTECTOR-PRIME

The leader of this unit is the Protector-Prime. A Protector-Prime attacking with a Stormstrike Glaive makes 4 attacks rather than 3

ABILITIES

Deathstrike: A Stormstrike Glaive can slay monstrous foes with a single blow. If the wound roll for a Stormstrike Glaive is 6 or more and the target is a Monster, it does D6 Damage instead of 1.

Storm-shield: Arrows are deflected by the Protectors’ weaving Glaives. Subtract 1 from the hit rolls of enemy shooting attacks that target a unit of Protectors, or which must cross a unit of Protectors to hit a model that lies beyond them.

Starsoul Mace: A model armed with a Starsoul Mace can make a starblast attack in each combat phase. Pick an enemy unit that is within 1” of the model with the Starsoul Mace. That unit suffers D3 mortal wounds.

KEYWORDS

ORDER, CELESTIAL, HUMAN, STORMCAST ETERNAL, PALADIN, DECIMATORS

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 we look at sigmarite weapons, combining scenery kits and a Bad Moons Blitza-Bommer.

THE MAGICAL WARGEAR OF THE PALADIN CONCLAVES

The new Paladins had us all gawping at their amazing wargear here in the White Dwarf bunker – axes, hammers and glaives forged from mystical ore, mined from the heart of a dead world and ensorcelled with the power of a warrior god! That makes for some of the most exciting weapons ever.

Lightning hammers smite the malefic armour of Chaos warriors with the explosive force of thunder bolts, sundering armour and pulping flesh and bone with unfathomable force. The thunderaxes wielded by the Decimators are, if possible, even cooler – an axe that cleaves through everything in its arc with the force of a raging comet? Perfect! The blade is even shaped in the image of Sigmarabulus. Just imagine it hacking off limbs, shearing through torsos and slicing weapons and shields apart with each swing.

The whirling stormstrike glaives, on the other hand, can neatly bisect their victim with a single chop, leaving the two halves of their foe to slowly slide apart. The precious starsoul mace that some Paladin retinues carry into battle is perhaps the most impressive of all – it hits with such explosive force that every shockwave tears the souls from the crushed and mangled bodies of the foe. Yikes.

DRACOTHS

SONS OF DRACOTHION

Many of the greatest Lord-Celestants ride into battle upon the back of mighty Dracoths. These deadly, lightning-spitting beasts are fiercely loyal and will fight to the death to protect the Lord-Celestant they permit to ride them.

Legends tell that they are the heirs of Dracothion, the Great Drake with whom Sigmar found common cause at the dawn of the Age of Myth. It is said that together God-King and Great Drake adventured, bestowing great gifts upon one another as tokens of unending friendship. It was Dracothion who first showed Sigmar the star bridges and crystalline pathways that led to the Eight Realms.

Although ages have passed, the Dracoths and the scions of Sigmar remain united in their cause to battle Chaos. The most famous Dracoth is Calanax, said to be the first of his kind to permit a Stomcast Eternal to ride upon his back. Now, as the Age of Sigmar dawns, more and more Dracoths join the fight and more legends will be forged.

Earlier in the issue we took a look at the Numinous Occulum, a new scenery piece for Warhammer Age of Sigmar. Like the Ophidian Archway that came out last week, the Numinous Occulum is a modular kit, each wall section and supporting pillar a separate piece that can be arranged in a variety of different ways. They can even be combined with the parts in the Ophidian Archway kit, enabling you to build one large building like the one shown in the picture below.

When assembling this building, the Numinous Occulum was built first following the instructions in the box. The main wall section from the Ophidian Archway was then glued to the left-hand end of the building, using the cockatrice buttresses on the end of the Numinous Occulum to support the weight of the wall and the floor section. Once dry, a second Numinous Occulum was then glued to the far end of the Archway, creating one very large and impressive entrance-way.

The buildings above were painted using metallic paints, for they represent the Ruins of Elixia in the Realm of Chamon, also known as the Realm of Metal. It is here that Thostos Bladestorm fights Ephyrx, Chosen Sorcerer of Tzeentch.

Our reader’s model this week is a Leman Russ Executioner painted by João David. He decided to paint this plasma-spewing behemoth with a hexagonal lozenge camouflage scheme, the hull and turret covered in black hexagons that break up the outline of the tank, making it harder to shoot. Sadly, the glowing blue plasma coils on the Executioner’s turret kind of give the game away, João having painted them with object source lighting to make them look like they’re glowing with plasma energy.

The rest of the tank has been weathered with rust streaks, paint chips and mud-covered valances, suggesting it’s seen plenty of action.

Painted a miniature worthy of a place in White Dwarf? Send your pictures to:
team@whitedwarf.co.uk

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

It may have an amorous name, but the Harlequin’s kiss is far from friendly. Dashing up to their target, a Harlequin will stab the needle-like tube into a weak spot in the foe’s armour, puncturing their flesh before activating the trigger. In the blink of an eye the unfortunate victim is injected with meters of monofilament wire which then unravel with deadly force, spinning around inside them with terminal force. Shredded human, anyone?

The Datasmith in the Kastelan Robots kit has two heads, including this metal-clad noggin. The right side of his head incorporates a port for his data wafers so you can slot in battle doctrines. Imagine having one of those in your head…

Lunchtimes in the White Dwarf bunker this week have resounded to the clamour of sword on tree bark and the crushing of brittle bones as the Deathrattle Legions of the dead marched against the Sylvaneth. For their game our intrepid players were inspired by the battleplan Breakthrough, found in the Age of Sigmar book – and decided to use it to tell their own tale of an invasion of the Wyrewoods of Ghyran by the Deathrattle Legions of Nagash.

The game was a rip-roaring battle that only ended when a trio of Treelords smashed the Deathrattle Warriors, scattering the forces of Death from the Wyrewoods.

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

AEGIS DEFENCE LINE

One of the most commonly seen fortifications in the Imperium, the Aegis Defence Line enables hard-pressed defenders to stave off enemy attacks from sky and land. While the thick defensive walls shield the warriors inside from attack, the quad-gun or icarus lascannon can cut down enemy flyers with devastating ease.

PROMETHIUM RELAY PIPES

While not strictly a fortification, these industrial supply routes are often used both as (risky) cover by Imperial forces and as a ready supply of promethium for flamer weapons. More than one foe has underestimated a platoon of Astra Militarum Guardsmen hunkered down behind some promethium relay pipes, only to find their vanguard burned to a cinder by a wall of super-heated tank fuel.

AQUILA STRONGPOINT MACRO-CANNON EMPLACEMENT

Among the grandest and most deadly defences that the land-based forces of the Imperium can call upon, the Aquila Strongpoint is all but impenetrable to most conventional weapons, able to withstand hails of rockets and small arms fire with ease. Even dedicated anti-tank and building weapon struggle with the sturdy walls – and that’s before the attackers must reckon with its defences. The macro-cannon is a monster of firepower, a true goliath of the battlefield that can shred the armour of a Battle Titan with a couple of direct hits and reduce tanks such as the Leman Russ or Land Raider to ruins. To attack an Aquila Strongpoint takes reserves of courage few possess.

The White Dwarf 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

HAIRLOOMS OF THE DWARFS

Oh great Dwarfen one, I have painted many Dwarf models and I’ve noticed that some seem to have eyebrows on the front ridge of their helmets. Is this part of the Dwarf helmet design or do their eyebrows just protrude really far?

- Trevor ‘Highbrow’ Ursulescu

GROMBRINDAL SAYS

Wow, a question about eyebrows. Now that I did not see coming… Put simply, us Dwarfs are very proud of our hair. Thick and strong it grows, especially our beards. A Longbeard named Konran Steelbeard once famously saved a thousand Dawi when he pulled a stricken Ironclad into port using his beard as a tow-rope, his whiskers tied round the figurehead as he hauled it in. But I digress… the eyebrows on the models are part of the helmet, itself a cast of the Dwarf wearing it. No doubt he’ll have an even more impressive set of eyebrows underneath the helmet, safe from mid-battle mischief.

- Grombrindal

Earlier in the issue we showed off Andy Keddie’s Killa Kan, the first model in his entry for this year’s Armies on Parade. Not content with one model under his belt, Andy grabbed his brushes and painted this Blitza-Bommer – Da Screemin’ Yella Terror – over the course of a rainy weekend. “Flyers are great because they add loads of height to an army,” says Andy. “They’re big kits, too, so they always draw the eye. I went one step further and painted it bright yellow so you really can’t miss it.”

Like the Killa Kan, Andy painted Da Screemin’ Yella Terror the traditional bright yellow of the Bad Moons clan. The basecoat for the whole model is Averland Sunset followed by a wash of Reikland Fleshshade. With the wash dry, Averland Sunset was then reapplied, followed by streaks (rather than layers) of Yriel Yellow, Flash Gitz Yellow and Dorn Yellow to give the impression of dirt-streaked armour. Interestingly, the whole model (apart from the crew) was painted with just one brush – the L Base brush.

NEXT ISSUE: Blood flows, the Devourer descends and a quest begins…

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Editor: Jes Bickham. Publisher: Paul Lyons

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