Do you like space marines but wish you could play them in a fantasy setting and with models that aren’t all dudes? Do you really have a thing for gold armor? Do you just want to get the whole painting thing over with and spray your minis with Retributor Armour and call it a day? Then the Stormcast Eternals may be the army for you! In today’s Start Competing we’re looking at how to play the warriors of Sigmar. Note that this is a guide aimed at players with a more competitive mindset, who want to take their play with the faction to the next level. While we think it will still be a helpful guide for new players, for players who are taking their first steps into the faction and Age of Sigmar, we’d also recommend Getting Started: Stormcast Eternals.

 

Faction Overview

Stormcast are the “Good guys” of Age of Sigmar. Taken from civilizations across space and time (and implied to be different species as well), Sigmar reforges their souls into the best versions of themselves, so they can take the fight to his enemies, notably Nagash and the gods of Chaos. On the table they’re one of the most flexible factions in the game, being good at just about every phase of the game. They’re one of the easier factions to pick up because the ability to function well even when you’re making mistakes helps the learning curve. They’re one of the more difficult armies to master however, as you really have to squeeze their advantages to the fullest extent possible.

Strengths

• Flexibility – Stormcast have an all around solid stat block that makes them adaptable. Although often used derisively, calling Stormcast AOS’s space marines is not inaccurate.
• Tons of Options – The Stormcast Eternals have an overwhelming number of options, with tons of magic and abilities at their disposal
• Durable – Everything has a bare minimum 2 wounds so they tough.
• Re-rolls! – RE-ROLLS FOR EVERYTHING! This really smooths the variance out for the faction.

Weaknesses

• Small Numbers. Because the Stormcast Eternals are a bit more on the elite side, taking any casualties can be a big problem for you – you’ll feel every casualty.
• First codex syndrome – Stormcast Eternals received the first book, which usually means that the designers haven’t found their footing yet. The good news is that the faction is always the first to be updated but generally whatever is the current new army might have a trick or two you aren’t equipped to deal with. Until the next update, anyways.
• Jack of All Trades, Master of None – The downside to being good at everything is you’re rarely the best at it. If you try and take on Tzeentch in a magic battle or Khorne in a straight up bloodbath you’ll probably lose.
• Character-Heavy – The faction can be very character-heavy with regard to its synergies which is great but if you lose any characters it can be a big problem.

Competitive Rating

Medium.

Stormcast suffer from “First Codex Syndrome” (Well, battletomes in this case) which means whenever a new edition or wave of content comes out, Stormcast always got their rules first. Which means initially they get to be the top of the curve, but drop off as power creep sets in and each subsequent battletome outpaces them. We’re at a point where their Battletome is almost 2 years old as of this writing, which doesn’t sound like a lot on paper except the game has seen an unprecedented pace of new tomes which makes their age hurt more than it might normally. They’re not a completely lost cause though, their flexibility remains unmatched, so if you really can eek out the most out of a unit you can persevere.

The Battletome

Before moving forward I just want to add a quick disclaimer because it can be very confusing for new players.Make sure you have the right battletome. I don’t usually feel the need to do this but Stormcast have received a whopping four battletomes (if you count the Extremis one), and this game isn’t even 4 years old yet. So make sure the one you have looks like this:

Allegiance Abilities

Stormcast allegiance abilities are straightforward, they only got 2:

Scions of the Storm

Deep Strike. Instead of placing a unit on the field you can instead place it to the side and say they’re waiting in the Heavens above, and you can set aside one unit for each unit on the field. At the end of your movement phase you can drop them onto the field more than 9″ away from an enemy model. This is best used for units that are slower and need to be set up in a particular location, such as on top of an objective or behind the enemy. Just make sure you remember to put them out there because if turn 4 ends and they’re still waiting, they count as slain.

Shock and Awe

A nice perk that works in tandem with Scions of the Storm, when a unit deep strikes in enemies have -1 to hit them for that turn. So if you charge into an enemy, it’s going to be harder for them to hit you back. The problem of course is that you’re more than 9″ away, so you may or may not get a chance to make full use of this. Just remember its there if you do get into melee combat.

Stormhosts

Stormhost are your unit subfactions. Same disclaimer for other factions: Subfactions are optional, but if you take one you gain a new allegiance ability and command ability in exchange for a mandatory Command Trait and Artefact (Which may or may not be a bad thing, many are quite good). Additionally, all named characters are part of Hammer of Sigmar. You can use unique characters even if your army isn’t Hammers of Sigmar, the characters just don’t gain any benefits from another Stormhost. Stormcast have more subfactions than any other faction to date, with a whopping 8. Most stop at 6, and even Cities of Sigmar only goes up to 7.

Unlike most factions currently, there’s no really “right” answer here. Many different factions are used in comp lists and some choose to go with none at all, preferring to choose their own trait or relic.

Hammers of Sigmar

• Allegiance Ability: First to be Forged – Add one to bravery scores across the army. Your Bravery score is so-so, so this isn’t terrible. B
• Command Ability: Soul of the Stormhost – When a Redeemer unit (A keyword shared by your most common battleline options) is destroyed spend a CP to roll a die and on a 5+ you can return the unit to the field at full strength, deep-striking them in more than 9″ from the enemy. Although relying on a 5+ is iffy, if it pays off you can absolutely ruin your opponent’s day when a full strength unit pops back in. B
• Command Trait: We Cannot Fail – A 9″ aura around your General grants a 6+ Feel No Pain save for units wholly within. Good stuff. B+
• Artefact of Power: God-Forged Blade – Pick a bearer’s melee weapon, if you roll an unmodified 6 to hit, increase damage characteristic by 1. Not terrible but not great. Put it on something that gets a lot of attacks in the hope of better odds of a 6. B-

Although nothing here is particularly great it’s also not bad at anything. The abilities help everything in your army in a ways that are always useful (More Bravery, Feel No Pain checks). All of the unique characters are from the Hammers of Sigmar, which helps with synergy, even if its not strictly required.

Hallowed Knights

• Allegiance Ability: Only the Faithful – Their famous battlecry, roll a die anytime a spell affects a Hallowed Knights unit. On a 6+ you can ignore that spell. Word of caution, as this was the first attempt at this ability GW poorly worded it and it doesn’t say you can choose to roll a die, you have to. This has never been errata’d so we can assume it’s here to stay. That means your own spells could potentially fizzle out. Be careful. C+
• Command Ability: Holy Crusaders – Pick a Friendly unit within 9″ of a Hero or 18″ of your general. Add 1 to run and charge rolls and that unit can run and charge in the same turn. Very nice. B+
• Command Trait: Martyr’s Strength – When your general dies, roll a die and on a 2+ they can pile in and attack with all melee weapons before finally dying. Potentially a good middle finger to the opposition but it’s not wise to rely on a trait that requires your general dies to proc. C
• Artefact of Power: Parchment of Purity – Heal 1 wound to the bearer each Hero phase. Good for a little extra longevity. B

An aggressive faction, Hallowed Knights can charge up the field incredibly quickly and possibly get a turn 1 charge. Resisting spells is also nice, though a 6+ can be unreliable, and the fact your own spells can fizzle out hurts. Take them if you’d rather focus on melee over ranged and magic.

Celestial Vindicators

• Allegiance Ability: Celestial Vindicators – Reroll hit rolls of 1 if a unit charged that turn. Very nice, since Stormcasts have pretty good Hit rolls, rerolling 1s gives you another shot in the off chance you miss. B+
• Command Ability: Righteous Hatred – Pick a Friendly unit within 9″ of a Hero or 18″ of your general. Add 1 to their attack characteristics. Combos nicely with the allegiance ability. Note that errata has changed it so this can only be applied to a unit once per turn. B+
• Command Trait: Single-Minded Fury – if you roll an unmodified 6 to hit, increase damage characteristic by 1. Better than relic versions of similar abilities since it applies to all models. B
• Artefact of Power: Stormrage Blade – At the start of the combat phase you can choose a bearer’s weapon. Gain 2 attacks with it, but -1 to saves for that turn. Potentially powerful, just make sure whatever you attack is going to be dead when all is said and done. B

Another “Aggressive” faction like Hallowed Knights. While Hallowed Knights are faster on the charge, Vindicators can give themselves a lot of attacks and rerolls to boot. Probably the better option for a melee oriented faction.

Anvils of Heldenhammer

• Allegiance Ability: No True Death – Reroll failed Battleshock tests. Problem is you’re generally running stormcase in MSU and while your bravery isn’t great, if something goes wrong and you fail a bravery test a reroll isnt going to help as much. Hammers of Sigmar’s +1 bravery is more broadly applicable. C
• Command Ability: Heroes of Another Age – In the Hero phase, pick a Friendly unit within 9″ of a Hero or 18″ of your general. That unit can fire all its missle weapons or pile in and attack, effectively giving you two attack or shooting phases with a unit. Note that errata has changed it so this can only be applied to a unit once per turn. A-
• Command Trait: Deathly Aura – -1 Bravery for enemy units within 6″ of the general. Not bad, but 6″ is a small range so you gotta have a general with a large base and can get in close. C+
• Artefact of Power: Soulthief – Pick a melee weapon, at the end of combat if you successfully deal damage with it, roll a die. On a 3+ deal a mortal wound. Nice way to give a little extra tap if you didnt kill your target. B+

Lot of Bravery fuckery going on here. The abilities are pretty sub-par but the command ability is wonderful, so if you play as the Anvils thats probably the major reason.

Knights Excelsior

• Allegiance Ability: Storm of Annihilation – If a unit destroys an enemy unit, it gets reroll 1s for the rest of the battle. This is good, especially if you make a hard push early on. B+
• Command Ability: No Mercy – In the Hero phase, pick a Friendly unit within 9″ of a Hero or 18″ of your general. That unit can reroll wound rolls of 1. Pairs well with Storm of Annihilation, especially because rerolling wound rolls are harder to come by than hit rolls. A-
• Command Trait: Divine Executioner – Add 1 to damage if the target is a Hero. Hero hunter abilities are hard to pull off but if you can set them up, very worth it. C+
• Artefact of Power: Chains of Celestial Lighting – This is a weird one. Once per battle, pick an enemy Hero or Monster within 3″ and roll 3D6. Your opponent rolls 2D6 if their model is a Hero, and 3D6 if its a monster. If you roll higher, half the move characteristic, run and charge rolls and attacks for the model. You have to get really close to use this, so the halving of move and charge is more to keep them there than to keep them away from you. The halved attack characteristic will help neuter them long enough for you to put them out of commission. If only it wasn’t once per battle and so luck based. D

Excelsior are a blitzkrieg style of faction. While Hallowed Knights and Vindicators are aggressive, these guys are about striking fast before the enemy can recover. The allegiance and command ability are pretty good, but the rest leaves a lot to be desired.

Celestial Warbringers

• Allegiance Ability: Fearless Foresight – Roll a die at the start of the game after both players have set up. You can move D3 units to anywhere within your deployment zone (following rules for setup). Nice way to mess with your opponent’s strategy if they were poised to go after your most important units. B+
• Command Ability: Astral Conjunction – In the Hero phase, pick a Friendly Wizard within 9″ of a Hero or 18″ of your general. Add 1 to casting rolls. Nice solid buff. B+
• Command Trait: Portents and Omens – Once per turn reroll one failed hit, wound or save roll for your General. Rerolls are nice especially when they’re this flexible. B+
• Artefact of Power: Hammers of Augury – At the end of the combat phase pick an enemy unit within 3″ of the bearer and roll a die. On a 3+ deal a mortal wound and roll another die, on a 4+ deal a second. The odds on this are good enough, just make sure to put it on someone willing to get into combat. B

A decent all around faction with a variety of tools. Repositioning at game start can be a real wrench for your opponent, buffs to casting are nice and you get an all purpose reroll and mortal wounds. Beneficial to a few different units, though as good as its allegiance ability is it doesn’t do anything for you past the setup phase. So Hammers of Sigmar remain the best “all-rounder” faction.

Tempest Lords

• Allegiance Ability: Grand Strategist – Roll a die at the beginning of each of your turns, on a 4+ gain a CP. Free CP is nice. B+
• Command Ability: Rousing Oratory – In the Hero phase, pick a Friendly unit within 9″ of a Hero or 18″ of your general. That unit can reroll wound rolls of 1. Exact copy of the Knights Excelsior Command Ability and still nice here. A-
• Command Trait: Divine Executioner – Add 1 to wound rolls for the General if within 6″ of another Tempest Lord Unit. You probably aren’t going to send your General off on their own so this is basically a freebie. B+
• Artefact of Power: Patricians Helm – Roll a die each time you spend a CP. On a 5+ gain that CP back. Comboes well with your Free CP on a 4+. B

Another good all-rounder faction. Bonuses for wound are lovely, though the CP abilities are a bit feast or famine. You might drown in CP or get nothing from it.

Astral Templars

• Allegiance Ability: Beast Stalker – Add 1 to hit rolls when attacking Monsters. Monster hunter abilities are unreliable since you can’t be sure if your opponent even has one. C-
• Command Ability: Cut off the Head – In the Hero phase, pick a Friendly HERO within 9″ of a Hero or 18″ of your general, That HERO adds 1 to wound rolls. Very nice. B+
• Command Trait: Dauntless Hunters – After setup but before the battle begins, all units wholly within 12″ of your General can move 6″. Scout rules are useful just make sure to put them some place secure, especially if your opponent might be able to first turn charge them. B+
• Artefact of Power: Godbeast Plate – Subtract 1 from from wound rolls by enemy Monsters against the bearer. Same problems as a lot of Monster hunter abilities but now you also have to hope your opponent attacks the bearer with it. D

I’m not big on “monster hunter” factions. They fulfill a niche you might not know will help until the game begins. This has a lot of the same problems. The command ability and trait are solid though.

Artefacts

You have a lot of Artefacts, broken down into weapons, armor and relics anyone can take and smaller tables for specific models.

Storm-Forged Weapons

• Strife-Ender – Pick a melee weapon. Add 1 to Attack characteristics, and 2 if the target is CHAOS. Solid weapon choice in general but the extra punch against Chaos makes it really good, especially with the abundance of Chaos in the meta. A-
• Blade of Heroes – Pick a melee weapon. Reroll hit rolls against Heroes and Monsters. A monster and hero killer makes those iffy bonuses more attractive. B
• Hammer of Might – Pick a melee weapon. On an unmodified 6 to wound double the damage characteristic. Slap this on something with 3 damage and if you get that 6, big oof. B
• Fang of Dracothinian – Pick a melee weapon. Reroll wound rolls of 1 with that weapon. Rerolls to wound are harder to come by than hit so this is a welcome item. B+
• Obsidian Blade- Pick a melee weapon. Improve that weapon’s Rend by -1. Another solid choice, as ways to improve rend are harder to come by. B+
• Gift of the Six Smiths- Pick a melee weapon. Reroll one hit or wound roll per turn. This is all hit or wound rolls not just 1s. The fact you can do this every turn is very nice. B+

Heaven-Wrought Armor

• Armour of Destiny – 6+ Feel no pain save. Not the best but useful for any character to have. C+
• Armour of Silvered Sigmarite – -1 to hit when attacking the bearer of this artefact. Boring but solid. B
• Drakescale Armour – Reroll failed saves if the damage is greater than 1, this includes D3, D6 etc.  Forces your opponent to chip your Hero down instead of slamming a monster into it. B+
• Mirrorshield – -2 to hit the bearer with ranged weapons. This is good, except your Heroes have -1 to hit from Look Out Sir! and while it does stack, -3 hit is probably overkill when you have so many other options. C
• Spellshield – Dispel one spell per turn as if the bearer was a wizard. You should have plenty of Wizards to do this job already C
• Featherfoe Torc – Reroll hit rolls against units that can fly. This is extremely niche, flying is not nearly as common as 40k. However many powerful monsters and mounted characters can fly, so its not totally useless C

Artefacts of the Tempest

• Talisman of Endurance – +1 wound for the bearer. Eh. C+
• Obsidian Amulet – Anytime the bearer is affected by a spell, roll a die. On a 4+, ignore the spell. Similar to the Hallowed Knights, there isn’t an exception built in for friendly spells so if you intend for them to be buffed by spells, don’t take this. C-
• Luckstone – Once per battle you can change a hit, wound, save or damage roll to a number of your choice. It’s only once per battle but the fact you get to pick the number rather than a simple reroll brings this up a tier. B+
• Seed of Rebirth – Each Hero phase, roll a die and on a 4+ heal a wound. Good for surviability. B
• Sigmarite Pendant – If the bearer dies, roll a die. On a 4+ deal D6 mortal wounds to the one who killed them. Artefacts that only proc when your Hero dies arent a situation you want to put yourself in, and theres too much randomness to get a good result out of it. D
• Quicksilver Draught – Once per battle you can pop this, and go first in the combat phase. Only once per battle but if timed right your Hero will hopefully get their chance to kill something before it can fight back. C

Standards (HEROES with Totems)

• Hurricane Standard – Reroll run and charge rolls for units within 12″. Pretty useful. B
• Lichebone Standard – Heal 1 wound for each unit within 9″. Won’t bring models back from the dead but since all your guys have at least 2 wounds this will often be useful. B
• Pennant of Sigmaron – If a unit within 24″ of the bearer fails a battleshock test, roll a die. On a 2+ only one model flees. It’s alright but since Stormcast are usually running MSU its rarely you lose more than one model if at all. C

Mystic Lights (Lord-Castellant, Lord Vertinant and Knight-Azyros)

• Shining Light – Subtract 1 from the bravery of units within 6″. Subtract 2 if the enemy is CHAOS. You have to get a little too close for my liking though I guess it’d be handy against some Chaos lists. C+
• Fury Brand – Pick a melee weapon for a model within 6″. Add one to the weapon Characteristics. Like a weapon relic but can affect more than the bearer if you so choose. B
• Lantern of the Tempest – If an enemy unit rolls an unmodified 6 to hit a Stormcast unit within 12″ of the bearer, force them to reroll. While an unmodified 6 limits how much it can filter out, its nice for attacks that proc on an unmodified 6. B-

Staves (Lord-Arcanum or Knight-Incantor)

• Staff of Focus – Once per battle you can activate this artefact. Add 1 to casting rolls and if you successfully cast a spell that deals mortal wounds, deal an extra wound. Only once per battle limits its usefulness but its got some punch if timed right. B
• Mindlock Staff – Once per battle pick an enemy wizard within 12″ during their Hero phase. That Wizard cannot cast spells this turn. Again, once per battle limits the scope of its power but time it right and completely shut down your enemy’s Nagash or Lord Kroak. B+
• Staff of Azyr – If you successfully cast a spell, -1 to hit the bearer until the next hero phase. Decent bonus for something youre doing anyway B+

Scrolls of Power (Lord-Arcanum or Knight-Incantor)

All of these are “once per battle”, as a magical scroll would imply.

• Scroll of Unravelling – Pop this at the start of an enemy’s Hero phase. Every spell cast equal to the casting value (So if the Casting Value is 7 and they roll a 7) deal D3 Mortal wounds. It has no range restriction but given its once per battle you probably wont get many bites, if any unless you’re going against Tzeentch. D+
• Scroll of Condemnation – Pick an enemy HERO within 12″. Add one to wound rolls for all allies who attack that hero. Timed right, this can assure a Hero’s death. Get a hero out in the open, pop this and have your boys jump him. B+
• Storm Scroll – Bit convoluted. Pick up to 6 different enemy units and assign them each a different number, 1 to 6. Then Roll a die and whichever unit matches the number you rolled, deal D6 mortal wounds. The variance in mortal wounds is kinda eh but if you pop this early when theres lots of units on the field you’re going to hit something B

Command Traits

Compared to many armies that would come later, your number of command traits is pretty small. Only 6, and not divided by type of Hero.

• Shielded by Faith – 5+ Feel no pain. Step up from the usual 6+ FNP we get. B+
• Consumate Commander – Roll a die at the beginning of your turn. On a 4+ get a CP. Free CP is nice. B-
• Cunning Strategist – You may move D3 units 5″ after setup but before the game begins. Use these to move forward, or to a more defensible position. B
• Zealous Crusader – Reroll charge rolls for the General. You have a few ways to re-roll charges and one restricted to your General only is kinda meh.
• Staunch Defender – Add 1 to save rolls for units within 9″ of the General if they have not charged this turn. Probably the “best” of the bunch as 9″ give you a lot of room to protect your army. A-
• Champion of the Realms – Pick a weapon, add 1 to the attack characteristics. Strange that it’s not a weapon but sure. B

Mount Traits

There are an uncomfortable number of mount traits here. 6 tables of 3 each. They follow normal rules, you get one of these for free and then one for each battalion you take.

Traits of the Noble Beast (All Mounts)

• Lithe-Limbed – Add 1″ to movement characteristic. 1″ probably isn’t going to make much of a difference. D
• Keen-Clawed – For every unmodified 6, the mounts weapons before Rend -3. A popular choice, and can be taken by any mount. Rend -3 will basically skip past all armor saves. A-
• Savage Lineage – When this model dies in melee, roll a die. On a 4+ deal D3 mortal wounds to the unit that killed it. You don’t really wanna pick something that asks the bearer to die to be useful. C-

Celestial Lineage (Dracoth)

• Drake-Kin – When this model takes damage, roll a die. On a 5+, any attacks that deal 2 or more damage are reduced to 1 damage. There’s too many qualifiers for this to work properly. It might help chip a bunch of D2 or D3 attacks but get hit with enough of those and the Dracoth is going down anyway. C-
• Thunder-caller – Storm Breath has a range of 16″ instead of 12″. Not terrible. B-
• Pack Leader- Add 2 to attack characteristics of Dracothinian Guard models within 6″. Not bad if you field some. B

Ancient Powers (Stardrake)

• Storm-Winged – After moving, you can pick one enemy unit you flew over (Stardrakes can Fly) and roll a die. On a 2+ deal D3 mortal wounds. Free Mortals, nice. B+
• Thunderlord – Roiling Thunderhead is a 24″ range instead of 18″. Solid range increase. B
• Star-branded – Subtract 1 from wounds taken when calculating where the model sits on the wound table. It’s rare youre going to hit the exact wound threshold. C-

Aetheric Aspects (Gryph Chargers)

• Wind Runner- When using the Rides the Winds Aetheric, add another die (giving a movement of 7d6″. That’s a average bonus of 3.5″ for a total average of 24.5″. Not bad. B-
• Aethereal Stalker – When this model is set up, choose an enemy unit. Whenever the Gryphon attacks that unit, reroll all hits and wounds for the mounts attacks. Put this on an important hero or a large unit to get the most of it. B+
• Indefatigable – Reroll run rolls. It’s ok. B-

Starchaser Forms (Tauralon)

• Swift-wing – Reroll run rolls. It’s ok. B-
• Lashing Tail – At the end of a combat round, roll a die. On a 4+ deal a mortal wound to a unit within 3″. An ok little way to tap off an extra model. B
• Steel Pinions – 6+ Feel no pain check. Always appreciated. B

Savage Temperaments (Dracoline)

• Bounding Leap – Can fight from 6″ away instead of 3″, and can advance another 3″. Basically like being able to charge from 3″ further awaym its not a bad pick. B-
• Pride Leader- Add 1 to friendly hit rolls for Dracoline units wholly within 9″. Evocators on Dracoline are popular choices, making this a good pick. B+
• Ear-piercing Roar – At the start of a combat phase, roll a die. On a 4+ one enemy unit within 3″ takes -1 to hit rolls. Help keep your dracoline alive a bit longer. B

Spells

Stormcast have a decent variety of spell lists. 9 spells divided among 2 schools but any WIZARD in the army can take them (except Evocators). It’s a solid spell lists, offering a diverse array of attack and buffs spells.

Lore of the Storm

• Lightning Blast – Casting Value 5. Suped up smite, deals D3 wounds to the closest visible enemy unit. Solid pick. B+
• Starfall – Casting Value 5. Pick a point within 12″ of the caster. Roll a die for each enemy unit within 3″ of this point, on a 4+ deal a mortal wound. Just take chain lighting instead. D
• Thundershock – Casting Value 6. Pick a unit within 6″ of the caster and roll a die. On a 4+ deal a mortal wound and subtract 1 from hit rolls. The extra 4+ makes this not so great because you now have to pass 2 rolls to even get to the part where you deal damage. The damage sucks but -1 to hit isnt terrible. C+
• Azyrite Halo – Casting Value 5. Pick a friendly unit wholly within 12″. Anytime they make a successful unmodified save of 6, deal 1 mortal wound to the attacker. Low casting value and a potent defensive buff for what it does. A-
• Chain Lightning – Casting Value 7. Target a unit within 24″ and visible. Deal D3 mortal wounds, then for each unit within 3″ of that unit, roll a die. On a 4+, deal a mortal wound to that unit. The casting value is a bit high, but it has great range, can deal a fair number of mortal wounds if your opponent clumps together a lot units. A-
• Stormcaller – Casting Value 7. Roll a die for a each unit on the battlefield, on a 6, that unit sufers D3 mortal wounds. Potentially good if your opponent has a lot of MSU on the field but in most cases the high casting value and the low odds of hurting what you want make it pretty meh C

Lore of Invigoration

• Terrifying Aspect – Casting level 5. Pick a unit within 18″ and give them a a -1 bravery Aura for enemy units within 3″. Not terrible, cast it on a melee unit and they might be able to scare off another model. B-
• Celestial Blades – Casting level 5. Pick a unit within 18″, that unit can add one to wound rolls with melee weapons. Solid pick, wound rolls are hard to gain boosts to. B+
• Speed of Lightning – Casting level 5. Pick a unit within 18″, that unit can reroll charge rolls. Another decent buff, help guarantee your boys get in there. B

Prayers

6 prayers here, which can be used by any PRIEST model (Lord-Veritant and Lord-Relicator, presently). Honest truth is prayers aren’t great for stormcast, and you probably wont take many of them. Translocation has it’s uses however that means putting in a priest. They all proc on a 3+ except for Bless Weapons, which proces on a 4+.

• Divine Light – Pick a unit wholly within 18″ of the priest. If it’s an enemy unit you can reroll hit rolls of 1, if its a friendly unit reroll unmodified hits of 6 against them. Which you use is of course based on the situation but if you take this, keep an eye out for enemy units with exploding 6s and pop this on them. B+
• Bless Weapons – Pick a unit within 18″, on an unmodified 6 that model deals an extra hit. Exploding 6s arent a bad deal. B+
• Bolster Faith – Skip battleshock tests. You have OK bravery and are almost always running MSU. Pass.
• Abjuration – Use this in the enemy’s Hero phase. Target an enemy wizard within 12″. The user of this prayer can attempt to unbind one spell from that wizard like a Wizard does. Hot garbage, requires you to get way too close, only lets you unbind spells from one wizard, and only one spell. If youre going to blow your only Prayer for one Priest you might as will just take another wizard. F
• God-King’s Aspect – 6″ -1 Bravery aura. It’s ok. C
• Translocation – Pick a unit wholly within 9″ and remove them from the field, then drop them back down following the usual rules for deep strike (More than 9″ from the enemy). Great stuff for relocating a unit when you need them on the other side of the field right now. A-

Battalions

Stormcast have alot of Battalions, to reflect the wide breadth of models they have access to. Sadly, Battalions aren’t popular in Stormcast. Your units are expensive and you’re trying to get as many points in as you can and most Battalions aren’t good enough to justify the exchange.

I’m going to skip over the “Super Battalions”. This book has a few but as my usual disclaimer goes there’s never enough points in a game to justify them, so whether or not they’re “good” is sort of beside the point.

The book loosely divides them into the different chambers of Stormcast, but any subfaction can use them and you can mix and match as you wish.

Sacrosanct Chamber

Your magical chamber.

• Grand Invocation – 1 LORD-ARCANUM, 1 Lord-Exorcist, 2+ Knights-Incantor – +1 to casting rolls for everyone in the Battalion, as long as theyre within 9″ of 2 or more other units in the Battalion. This requires you keep them clumped together, but bonuses to casting is a very nice bonus as you will often struggle to get bonuses to casting. B-
• Hailstorm Battery – 1 Lord-Ordinator, 1 unit of Castigators, 1 Celestar Ballista – You can reroll hit rolls if you successfully wounded the same unit with Castigators that turn. Ballistas are one of your better units, but having to have Castigators set up the attack can be unreliable, if they die you lose your bonus. C
• Cleaning Phalanx – 2 Sequitors, 2 Evocators – If an Evocator successfully casts Empower on a unit of Sequitors then the Sequitors get to reroll all failed hit rolls. This is actually one of the few really good battalions, because none of these units are a tax. They are very good units on their own, and this battalion rewards you for playing them the way you would anyway. If you have the points, this is worth a take. A

Vanguard Auxilary Faction

Vanguard Chamber is your ranged fast moving units.

• Vanguard Angelos Conclave – 1-3 units of Vanguard-Palladors, 3-9 units of Vanguard-Hunters – When using Rides the Winds Aetheric ability you can move 9D6 dice instead of 6D6 (That’s an average movement of 31.5″. Zoom. The problem is there’s so many units, that cost is just not worth it. C-
• Vanguard Justicar Conclave – 3 units of Vanguard-Raptors, 3 units of Aetherwings – The raptors can reroll hit rolls if the enemy they’re targetting is within 18″ of a Aetherwing unit. The bonus is good but thats…a lot of units. C

Extremis Chamber

Extremis are your blitzkrieg units, charging into the enemy and annihilating them before they can attack back.

• Lightning Echelon – 2 units of Fulminators, 2 units of Tempestors – Once per battle, you can declare a linebreaker assault. From each unit in the battalion, pick an enemy unit within 1″ that was charged this turn and deal D3 mortal wounds. Not a bad perk if you can time it right so all 4 units get the charge at the same time. B
•  Thunderwave Echelon – 2 units of Concussors, 2 units of Desolators – Subtract 1 from bravery of enemies within 3″ of a model from this unit. Not worth it, you have a ton of ways to get a Bravery aura, and not needing to pay all these points for it. D
• Drakesworn Temple – 3 Drakesworn Templars – Once per battle you can summon a Celestial Wave. This lets you deal D3 mortal wounds to all enemy units within 3″, and heal D3 wounds for every friendly unit within 3″. Actually a really good bonus if timed right but you need 3 Drakesworn Templars which is a lot. B

Strike Chamber

The remaining Stormcast are the “Strike” chamber. They consist of a lot of the OG units and leftover units that haven’t been in any other chambers.

• Lords of the Storm – 1 LORD-CELESTANT, 1 Lord-Relictor, 0-1 unit of Gryph-hounds, 1-4 Lord-Castellants or Lord-Veritants in any combination, 3-15 Knights-Heraldor,Knights-Vexillor, Knights-Azyros or Knights-Venator in any combination – Gain a CP on a 4+ each Hero phase. Wow that’s a lot of units. More CP is nice of course, but this is basically your entire list to build this. C
• Thunderhead Brotherhood – 3 units of Liberators and 2 units of Judicators – Reroll save rolls of 1 for Judicators that are within a unit of Liberators with shields. This is useable, as the models includes are pretty good, but you have to keep them together. B
• Hammerstrike Force – 2 units of PALADINS, 1 unit of Prosecutors – Each Hero phase choose a unit of PALADINS within 9″ the unit of Prosecutors. Add 1 to wound rolls for that PALADIN unit. Another good battalion. The units inside are good, they don’t ask you to bring too many, and the fact that any kind of Paladins are valid gives it some flexibility. B+
• Vanguard Wing – 3 units of Prosecutors, 1 unit of Liberators, 1 unit of Judicators – If the liberators or judicators are within 16″ of a Prosecutor unit, and they roll an unmodified 6 to hit, the damage characteristic of the attack is increased by 1. It’s not bad but…why 3 prosecutors? C+
• Devastation Brotherhood – 1 unit of Retributors, 1 unit of Protectors, 1 unit of Decimators, 1 unit of Prosecutors, 1 unit of Judicators – Your Paladin power rangers squad. If you have all 3 unit of PALADINS (Retributor, Protectors, and Decimators) deal damage to the same unit, deal D6 mortal wounds. The Judicators and Prosecutors are here to watch. The ability isn’t bad but the second one of your Paladin units is knocked out, you lose the bonus. Simply not worth the risk. C-
• Soulstrike Chamber – 2 units of Vanguard-Hunters (Must have Astral Compass), 2 units of Castigators, 1 Celestar Ballista – If the Vanguard-Hunters are on the field when the Sacrosanct units drop in, they get to add 1 attack to their ranged attacks for that turn. Only applies to the turn they come in so really not worth the setup. C-

 

Units

Heroes

Lord Arcanum

Battle wizards! These are the chaps you want to call on when you need to bash heads while casting spells.

They start off with a 6 wound base and a 3+ save which is pretty decent. Their attacks aren’t bad either with 4 attacks on 3s to hit and wound doing D3 damage with -1 Rend.

They have a variety of rules, the first being Cycle of the Storm which allows you to heal a wound to a model as it is slain within 18”, basically stopping that model from dying.

They carry Spirit Flasks which can be used once a game as a sort of suicide bomb. You decide whether you want to break 1, 2 or 3 flasks and take a mortal wound for each but you also do D3 mortals to each unit with more than 10 models within 3”. Note, that doesn’t say enemy units…

They also make Sequitors Battleline options if they’re the general, which is reason enough to take them on it’s own!

Their command ability is

• Aetheric Manipulation: Allows you to add D6 movement to a predatory endless spell before Endless Spells are moved.

They are also wizards that can cast and unbind once and have a special rule called Prime Electrids which means their Arcane Bolts do D3 mortal wounds instead of 1, or D6 instead of D3 on a 10+ to cast. Their unique spell is

• Thunderclap: Casting Value 6, pick an enemy unit within 18” and make them subtract 1 from their hit rolls until your next hero phase

They also come as the following different warsrcolls which have the same abilities and profiles (unless stated) but different command abilities and spells.

Lord Arcanum on Gryphcharger

An extra wound and better movement. You can also Ride the Winds Aetheric for 6D6 inches in one direction. The Gryphcharger has decent attacks which inflict Mortal Wounds on 6s to hit instead of normal damage.

Their command ability is

• Soul Energy: If you use this in the Hero Phase pick a unit of Evocators within 9” and they automatically cast Empower. If you use this in the Shooting Phase pick a unit of Castigators within 9” and their Aetheric Channeling increases both accuracy and Power instead of picking one. If you use this in the Combat Phase pick a unit of Sequitors within 9” and they can use Aetheric Channeling on both their weapons and shields instead of having to pick.

Their unique spell is

• Healing Light: Casting Value 5, heal D3 to a friendly stormcast unit within 18” or D6 on a cast of 8+

Lord Arcanum on Celestial Dracoline

Again, an extra wound and better movement. The mount is less dangerous in combat and instead has a roar which deducts 1 from the bravery of enemy units within 3” and the mount can reroll charges (doing D3 damage on a charge).

Their command ability is

• Pack Alpha: Pick a friendly model with this command ability and increase the monstrous claw attack characteristics of Evocators on Dracolines within 18” of that model.

Their unique spell is

• Storm Lance: Casting Value 5, draw a line from a point 12” away to the caster and roll a dice for each model passed over. On a 5+ do a mortal wound to the unit the model belongs to.

Lord Arcanum on Tauralon

10 wounds and 14” movement! The Tauralon has 3 decent attacks for 2 damage each, he can do Mortal wounds when he charges and can fly. He also gains the additional abilitiy Comet Trail which allows you to fly over an enemy unit and give stormcast +1 to hit them with ranged weapons. He also gets to cast an additional spell

Their command ability is

• Swift of Wing: Pick a friendly model with this command ability and add 2 to run rolls for Sancrosanct units within 18” of that model.

Their unique spell is

• Lightning Orb: Casting Value 6, draw a line from a point 12” away to the caster and roll a dice for each model passed over. On a 4+ do D3 mortal wounds to the unit the model belongs to.

Generally you’ll be choosing the regular foot variant, although if you’re running units in your army on similar mounts you receive decent buffs that might make you consider upgrading. But the foot one is a very good unit choice.

There are also two named character versions from the Hammers of Sigmar Stormhost.

Aventis Firestrike

A named Lord Arcanum on Tauralon who has identical stats and abilities but also gains the following. If an enemy damages him with a melee weapon he does a mortal wound back on a 5+ and he regenerates one wound done to him every hero phase. He also gains an additional unbind.

His command ability is

• Fiery Orator: Give a friendly Hammers of Sigmar unit +1 to wound rolls

His unique spell is

• Pyroelectric Blast: Casting Value 6, draw a line from a point 9” away to the caster and roll a dice for each model passed over. Each unit which is clipped takes D3 mortal wounds

If you are running Hammers of Sigmar and wanted to take a Lord Arcanum on Tauralon he is a very decent upgrade for 20 points, however you’re probably not going to be in that situation.

Asteria Solbright

A named Lord Arcanum on a Dracoline. She has the same stats as a regular Lord Arcanum on Dracoline.

Her command ability is

• Soul Energy of the Fiery Host: The same as a regular Lord Arcanum on Gryphcharger Command ability but only affects Hammers of Sigmar

Her unique spell is

• Lightning Pulse: Casting Value 5, roll a dice for each enemy unit within 12” and on a 5+ do a mortal wound.

She is the same price as the regular Lord Arcanum on Dracoline but doesn’t really come with anything new. Her command ability of probably superior if you’re playing Hammers of Sigmar though.

 

Knights

All the knights have the standard Stormcast 5 wounds with a 3+ save. They have 4 attacks with rend 1 doing 1 damage each so they’re not exactly combat monsters.

Knight Azyros

A flying knight. His gimmick is that he grants rerolling hits of 1 for friendly attacks within 10″ and once per game can do D3 mortal wounds to units within 8″ (or D6 to chaos units)

Knight Heraldor

His gimmick is granting a unit within 12″ the ability to retreat / run and still charge. He also gets to make terrain features within 18″ explode for D3 mortal wounds to units within 3″ of it.

Knight Incantor

A mini version of the Lord Arcanum who gets better attacks than a regular knight (D3 damage) and the Spirit Flasks ability lord Arcanums have. They also get a once per game automatic unbind scroll (reminiscent of the amazing scrolls from Warhammer Fantasy). This ability alone makes it an almost auto include in many lists but it also gets a great spell.

They are wizards with one cast and unbind a turn and their unique spell is

• Spirit Storm: Casting Value 7, does 1 mortal wound to each enemy unit within 18″ and subtracts 1 to their run and charge rolls whilst within 18″ of the caster.

Knight Questor

Back to the standard knight statline. Their gimmick is being able to pile in 6″ when piling into an enemy hero as well as doing 2 damage if they roll a 6 to hit. Incredibly lacklustre.

Knight Venator

The shooty flying Knight. Only gets 3 shots but can also shoot a bird at people. Once per game he gets to fire a special arrow which does D3+3 damage or D6+3 damage to a hero or monster

Knight Vexillor

The one with the banner. Allows reroll charges within 18″ and has a choice of two standards, meteoric which is a once per game ability to bring down a comet causing D3 mortals to units within 2D6″ of the chosen spot or Pennant of the Stormbringer which allows you to teleport a unit (with the standard 9″ from enemy models rule) at the end of the movement phase. This is one of the better choices, the reroll charges alone is great but being able to teleport a big unit of paladins around can be a game winner.

Knight Zephyros

One with a crowsbow pistol. Also gets more melee attacks than normal (going up to 6, or 7 if they charge). They can also run and shoot their (not amazing) crosbow pistol. Their gimmick is the ability to hitch a ride on a friendly unit riding the winds aetheric.

Neave Blacktalon

A character version of the. Gets an additional axe attack and +1 damage on heroes as well as an additional wound.

 

Celestants

The combat based heroes. Another unit with the standard Stormcast 5 wounds, 3+ save and 4 ok attacks. They all get +1 attack if they charge.

Lord Celestant

Your basic Celestant. Gets a magic cloak that can cause mortal wounds in the shooting phase on a 4+.

His command ability is

• Furious Retribution: +1 to hit rolls for a friendly unit that is within 3″ of an enemy unit in the combat phase/li>

Lord Celestant on Dracoth

Increased movement and wounds. Gets a choice of weapons and dragon’s breath that does D3 mortal wounds on a 4+. The weapons are all quite interesting with the Axe probably being the best, granting +1 attacks to units within 9″ if he attacks first (and still doing 2 damage)

His command ability is

• Lord of the Host: Pick a unit with this command ability, units within 24″ don’t have to take battleshock.

Lord Celestant on Stardrake

Here we go, the big dragon himself! These were the basis of almost all Stormcast lists in 1st edition AoS as you could make them nigh unkillable whilst butchering your enemy at the same time. They’re suffered a bit in the meantime and no longer see the table as much. They have 16 wounds and start off with a 12″ move.

The drake itself gets a choice of shooting attacks each turn, either rolling thunderhead which lets you pick an enemy unit within 18″ and roll a dice for each model, doing mortal wounds on 6’s or you can choose Rain of Stars which lets you pick D6 enemy units anywhere on the battlefield and roll a dice, doing D3 mortal wounds on a 4+. This is almost always the better choice and over a few turns you can decimate a decent number of low wound heroes.

The rider’s gets to choose between a hammer or a blade, with straight D3 damage for the hammer, or the chance of additional hits on a 6 with the sword (and still doing 2 damage) probably edging it out for the superior choice. When charging the rider gets to add D3 to his attack characteristics. The drake itself gets 4 attacks doing D3 damage, which doesn’t seem great, but it also gets a tail and bite attack listed further down the warscroll. The jaws allow you to eat a model if you roll higher than its wounds on a D6 and you get to do it 3 times at its highest bracket! You get to pick the models so you can eat unit champions, banner bearers e.t.c Then once all his other attacks are done roll a dice for each enemy unit within 3″ and if you roll less than the number of models you do D3 mortal wounds.

The rider comes with a nifty shield that lets him reroll 1s for saves and does a mortal wound to each unit within 3″ if he makes the successful reroll.

The drake also grants wizards +1 to cast if they are within 18″ and -1 to cast for enemy wizards within 18″

His command ability is

• Lord of the Celestial Host: Lets you reroll wounds for friendly stardrakes and dracoths on the entire battlefield.

Drakesworn Templar

The other Stardrake. He has the same base profile, the same tail / jaws attacks, the same breath attacks buff to +1 / -1 to wizards but lacks the command ability. The rider doesn’t have a shield unlike his better brother so doesn’t get to reroll 1s to saves (or reflect the damage) making him a fair bit less survivable nor does he get to add D3 to his attacks when charging.

Instead he gets to choose his weapons from an axe (enemies have -2″ to pile in when within 3″ of him) lance (does D6 mortal wounds on a 6 to hit when fighting monsters), hammer (2 hits on a 6 to hit instead of 1) or bow (gives +1 to hit to friendly Dracothian guard units attacking a model you’ve hit with this).

Generally not really worth it, you’re much better off with the Lord Celestant if you want a big dragon.

Vandus Hammerhand

A named Lord Celestant on Dracoth from the Hammers of Sigmar. Gets D3 additional attacks if he charges, and swings for an impressive 3 damage. He grants friendly Hammers of Sigmar units within 24″ immunity to battleshock.

His command ability is

• Vengeful Determination: Adds +1 attacks to all Hammers of Sigmar units wholly within 12″ of him.

 

Other Lords

Lord Aquilor

Mounted on a Gryph Charger the Aquillor has a decent wounds of 7 and dishes out an ok amount of attacks. Really he exists to buff Vanguard Palladors by teleporting them around the field with his command ability as well as making Vanguard Hunters Battleline if he’s the general. If you’re taking Vanguard units then he’s absolutely an auto include but if not he doesn’t really serve a purpose.

Lord Castellant

An auto include in some builds, this chap exists entirely for his lantern. He can do damage to Chaos Daemons but really it’s the +1 to saves on one Stormcast unit within 18″ bringing most units to a 3+ save with rerolls of 1 if they have shields.

Lord Exorcist

A wizard who can do mortal wounds to Nighthaunt or Daemons within 6″. Skip

Lord Ordinator

Fairly tasty in combat but he’s here for the +1 to hit on Order War Machines within 9″. Brilliant if you’re playing Cities of Sigmar, but good with Ballistas or allied Artillery.

Lord Relictor

Scary Skellington man. He can either do a lightning or healing storm, choosing to either do D3 mortal wounds to a unit within 12″ or heal D3 wounds to a unit within 12″. His main benefit is being a Priest, giving you access to prayers.

Lord Veritant

The other Priest hero. Can also attempt to unbind once a turn with +3 to the roll if there’s a Gryph-hound within 6″ (he brings his own chum)

Celestant Prime

Sigmar’s nuclear weapon. His base stats aren’t too exciting with just 8 wounds and a 3+ save although he does move 12″ and can fly.

He gets to use Sigmar’s own hammer, Ghal Maraz, the Warhammer of Warhammer and it’s pretty good. He starts with 3 base attacks hitting on 3s and wounding on 2s doing 3 damage with 3 rend. However, when you deploy him you can choose to do so off the board and for every turn he remains off it he gets an extra 2 attacks meaning that when he eventually arrives he’ll be a murder machine. The balance here is how long you want to keep an expensive part of your army off the board and exactly how powerful you need his hammer to be.

When he does arrive he sets up within 9″ of enemy units and causes them -2 bravery within 12″ of him (he always gives +1 bravery to friendly Order units within 18″)

In the shooting phase he can lob comets at people, doing D3 mortal wounds to each unit within D6″ of a spot of your choice 24″ from him.

He gets a once per turn ability to turn a dice roll to a roll of your choice which he can use on hits, wounds, saves, runs, charges or his Cometstrike roll (you’ll almost certainly be using this on the charge roll when he arrives!)

This is one of those units which is hard to master but when you do can really be a powerful unit on the table and appears fairly regularly in competitive lists.

 

Battleline

Liberators

The first battleline unit and a reliable one. 2 wounds and a 4+ save, rerolling 1s mean they’ll stick around, especially when buffed with the Castellant lantern. Their special ability is to add 1 to his when you target a unit with with a wounds characteristic of more than 5. It’s probably always better to take the hammers (4+, 3+) over the swords (3+, 4+) since it’s easier to find sources of +1 to hit than +1 to wound. They also get two attacks.

Judicators

Shooty battleline. These boys are great, with the same wounds and save as Liberators (minus the shields) but with bows instead of hammers. It’s always best to take the bows over the crossbows. They get 1 attack each rather than 3 with crossbows but have a 24″ range, hit and wound on a 3+ and have -1 rend. They also get to upgrade the weapon on the leader, the Shockbolt bow being absolutely awesome as on a hit (the leader hits on 2+) it does D6 hits instead of one. Being able to stand 24″ away and ping off -1 rend wounds is brilliant and you should probably always have one unit of these.

Sequitors (with Lord Arcanum General)

Liberators but wizards. They have the same statline but they’re more reliable, hitting and wounding on a 3+ as well as the reroll 1s to failed saves from their shields that Liberators get. At the start of the combat phase they can choose to either reroll all failed hits or all failed saves for attacks targeting them and on a 4+ they can do a mortal wound to a Chaos or Death unit within 6″. With their ability to choose whether to be better attacking or defending they have largely replaced Liberators in a lot of lists as the default battleline.

Vanguard Hunters (with Lord Aquillor General)

The same basic Stormcast stats but a bit quicker. They have crossbow pistols that aren’t great at a 9″ range for 1 damage. They get the Astral Compass ability that is common to Vanguard units letting them deploy within 6″ of the board edge and 7″ from enemy units when they arrive from the Celestial Realm. This would be great if they weren’t so anaemic at doing damage.

 

Artillery

Celestar Ballista

Only one option here, but its a good one. You get to choose between single shots and rapid fire, with the Single shot being 36″ range and one attack (3+, 3+) vs the 18″ and four attacks (5+, 3+) rapid fire option. They both have a whopping -2 rend. Every shot gets the same ability as the Judicator shock bow meaning each hit turns into D6 hits! As an added bonus the unit gets +2 to its saves when in cover. Pop a couple in cover near an objective and laugh.

 

Behemoths

None available but soon you’ll be able to add in a Son of Behemat if you really want a giant model to smash things.

 

Other Units

Aetherwings

A fairly cheap unit of birds that mainly exist to screen / be annoying. They get a buff to their movement if they’re within 18″ of a unit of Vanguard Raptors and can retreat and charge, putting out two average attacks each. They have no save but do have 2 wounds which makes them a bit more annoying to chew through

Castigators

Magical Judicators. They all have crossbows which hit and wound on 3s with -1 rend. Their special ability is to channel to either give their bows reroll hits of 1 or increase the rend to 2. Very nice utility although at 18″ range they have to be a bit more aggressive to make the most of their shots.

Dracothian Guard

Dracoth riding Stormcast. They all have 5 wounds with a 3+ save and a 10″ move with 3 base attacks. They all have shields giving them reroll 1s to saves.

The Dracoths themselves have the chance of turning their 1 damage attacks into D6 if they roll a 6 to wound and can shoot storm blasts that do D3 mortal wounds instead of normal damage (with a 12″) range.

Concussors are clearly the best of the bunch although all of them are very expensive in points and real money. It’s not unknown for people to take small units of Concussors for the sheer amount of mortal wounds they can kick out.

Concussors

The hammer ones. 3+ 3+ doing 2 damage at -1 rend. Their special ability is hit rolls of a 6 cause a mortal wound in addition to any other damage. If a unit takes mortal wounds this way it’s unable to pile in later that phase.

Fulminators

The glaive ones. 3+ 3+ doing 1 damage at -1 rend. Their special ability is to gain +1 to save rolls against missile weapons and turn the glaive damage into 3 if they charged.

Desolators

The axe ones. 3+ 4+ doing 2 damage at -1 rend. Their special ability is gaining +1 attack if there are 4 models in their unit or +2 if there are 6. Don’t build this option…

Tempestors

The crossbow ones. They somehow cause enemy units to shoot at -1 to hit with missile weapons when within 12″ of them. You probably shouldn’t build this option either.

Evocators

The magical version of Paladins. They have both swords and staves (the same profile but combining to give 4 attacks) with -1 rend which can be replaced with a grandstave with one less attack and no rend but doing 2 damage.

They are also wizards as long as there are 2 or more models left alive who can cast and disbind one spell from the Lore of Invigoration.

Their unique spell is

• Empower: Casting Value 6, grants a friendly Redeemer or Sancrosanct unit reroll of wounds within 12″ until your next phase

They also get Celestial Lightning Arcs which allows them to pick an enemy unit within 3″ after this unit has fought for the first time that turn and roll 2 dice for each Evocator in the unit, causing a mortal wound on each 4+.

These are a staple of many lists, they’re incredibly powerful independent operators who don’t need a ton of extra support to deal decent damage. Which makes them very popular as allies in other armies.

On Dracolines

2 additional wounds and a 12″ move.

Whist they still get Empower and Celestial Lightning Arcs the mortal wound output will be lower due to the smaller unit size.

To make up for this they get the Dracolith attacks (3 of them hitting and wounding on 3s with -1 rend) which change from 1 damage to D3 damage if they charge. They pounce at enemies (rerolling their charges). and cause enemies to be -1 bravery within 3″

Gryph Hounds

Much like the aetherwings but much more useful as they allow you to shoot at enemies arriving from reserves within 10″ of them with Stormcast units within 9″ of the hounds.

Paladins

3 wounds each with a 4+ save but a slow 4″ move. They each get to add a Starsoul Mace on 2 in every 5 models. You should definitely do this, rather than making normal attacks roll a dice for each mace, on a 1+ nothing happens, on a 2+ they deal D3 mortal wounds and on a 6 they do D3+1 mortal wounds! Note, you don’t even need to make hit rolls, meaning you can easily clear out pesky units with minuses to hit.

Decimators

The axe ones. 3+ 3+ doing 1 damage at -1 rend. Their special move is that the attacks characteristic for each model is how many enemy models are within 2″ of them when the attacks characteristic is determined. They also cause -2 bravery to enemies within 6″

Retributors

The hammer ones. 3+ 3+ doing 2 damage at -1 rend. Their special move is doing 2 mortal wounds on a hit roll of a 6 (but the attack sequence ending there so not in addition to the regular damage)

Protectors

The glaive ones. 3+ 3+ doing 1 damage at -1 rend. Their damage increases to D6 if they roll a 6 to hit a monster. They also cause enemies to subtract 1 to hit with missile weapons when shooting at them or any unit within 6″ that they are in the way of (waving their glaives in the air to swat down arrows I guess?)

Prosecutors

Flying Liberators. They get the choice of Javelin and shield, Hammer and Shield or two hammers for ultimate posing. They get to charge models 18″ away rather than 12″ and roll 3D6 to determine their charge distance.

The shields are standard Stormcast shields allowing rerolls of 1 to save.

The javelins can either be thrown (18″ range 1 attack 3+ 3+) or used in melee (one attack 4+ 4+) and do 1 damage each with no rend but cause an extra one damage if thrown from more than 9″ away)

The hammers can also be thrown (18″ range 2 attacks 4+ 4+) or used in melee (2 attacks 3+ 3+) and do 1 damage each but if you have two of them you can reroll 1s to hit.

The javelins can upgrade one to a Stormsurge Trident which does 2 damage and has -1 rend and the hammers can be upgraded to a Grandaxe (extra attacks), Grandblade (extra damage but harder to wound) or a Grandhammer (extra damage but harder to hit)

Vanguard Palladors

Vanguard troops on mounts with 5 wounds and a 4+ save.

They are fast with 12″ move and can ride the winds aetheric letting them drift 6D6 in one direction, allowing them to get across the board to defend / threaten objectives although the randomness of this means it can’t be counted on neccesarily).

Their blades have the chance to do mortal wounds on a 2+ after they have attacked and the mounts claws can do a mortal wound if they roll a 6 to hit.

 

Warbands

Each Shadespire Warband has a named leader and their chums. None are particularly worth taking

Steelheart’s Champions

The original gangstas from the first Underworlds box set. Basically 3 Liberators with slightly better saves and slightly better combat.

Stormsire’s Cursebreakers

3 Evocators that get to reroll hits of 1 against chaos or death units

The Farstriders

3 Vanguard Hunters who have the chance to do a mortal wound a turn

 

Army Lists

Stormcast have unparalleled versatility. More than any other army, no two stormcast lists look the same. Although some units are popular across lists (Evocators, Sequitors, Libertators) you’ll often find the devil is in the details so its hard to give a “Here’s how to win” list like some armies. Below are some examples that performed decently well at different tourneys.

Ulf Törnqvist

Lord-Arcanum on Gryph-Charger (220)
– General
– Command Trait : Staunch Defender
– Artefact : Drakescale Armour
– Spell : Azyrite Halo
– Mount Trait : Aethereal Stalker
Lord-Castellant (120)
Lord-Ordinator (140)

UNITS
20 x Sequitors (440)
– Stormsmite Mauls and Soulshields
– 9 x Stormsmite Greatmaces
5 x Liberators (100)
– Warhammer & Shield
– 1 x Grandhammers
5 x Liberators (100)
– Warhammer & Shield
– 1 x Grandhammers
6 x Evocators on Dracolines (520)
– 2 x Grandstaves

WAR MACHINES

Celestar Ballista (110)
Celestar Ballista (110)
Celestar Ballista (110)

Ulf came in 11th in the Realm of Geddon in Sweden. Its a pretty focused list  with a nice mix of heroes, Ballistas to rain fire on the enemy from afar while libertators and evocators get in close to fight in melee. 20 Sequitors boosted by Evocators are no joke either.

Sean Heigh’s CanCon List

LEADER
Lord-Aquilor (180)
– General
– Trait: Deathly Aura
– Mount Trait: Wind Runner
Lord-Arcanum on Tauralon (320)
– Artefact: Soulthief
– Spell: Chain Lightning
– Mount Trait: Steel Pinions
Lord-Veritant (120)
– Prayer: Translocation
Neave Blacktalon (120)

UNITS
5 x Vanguard-Hunters (110)
– Boltstorm Pistols and Storm Sabres
5 x Vanguard-Hunters (110)
– Boltstorm Pistols and Shock Handaxes
5 x Vanguard-Hunters (110)
– Boltstorm Pistols and Shock Handaxes
3 x Aetherwings (50)
3 x Aetherwings (50)
3 x Aetherwings (50)
3 x Vanguard-Palladors (180)
– Boltstorm Pistols and Shock Handaxes
9 x Vanguard-Raptors with Longstrike Crossbows (510)

ENDLESS SPELLS / COMMAND POINTS
Soulsnare Shackles (40)
Extra Command Point (50)
Total: 2000 / 2000
Extra Command Points: 1
Allies: 0 / 400
Wounds: 110

This is Sean Heigh’s list from CanCon 2020. It focuses more on the Vanguard chamber, enabling a much faster play style. Everything in the vanguard chamber moves fast, which allows him to grab extra objective and never leave a foe out of reach.

 

Wrapping Up

And that’s it. With many, many words above there’s inevitably some mistakes or stupid decisions in here somewhere, so if you spot any, or have any other feedback, hit us up at contact@goonhammer.com or over on our Facebook Page.