Post by Horace on Sept 24, 2018 14:39:43 GMT
As requested, here is my quick summary of the DoC units, copied from a thread discussing this a while back
Ok so there are a few standout things which if you are after optimal lists, you will want to include. These are Skull Cannons (obviously) & Beasts of Nurgle in my opinion. Nurgle appears to be the obvious choice for most people with the -1 to hit and generally strong toughness, if they are wanting to mono-god. Epidemius can also be a nightmare in mono-Nurgle lists.
I think you can probably play all of the gods reasonably well mono, Khorne will probably be hardest since you get no magic phase, but it's hardly terrible. At least you get across the board Magic Resistance. I find mono lists more advantageous on the reign of chaos thing plus you benefit from the battle standard. My Daemons aren't in a good enough place to play proper mono lists at the moment though.
I find the hardest thing with Daemons now (especially since 7th where they were auto-select) is Heralds. You really want them because of their pimping ability, but they do suck up points and are pretty squishy.
Greater Daemons are totally awesome in my opinion. Keeper of Secrets is my personal favourite. Movement 10. Terrifying.
Several of the special characters are pretty decent too.
Khorne
You know how Khorne works. Tool up with fighty things and get yourself over that battlefield as fast as possible (thankfully Daemons are bloody fast) to try and limit the magic damage you might take.
Bloodletters - Not exactly what they used to be (in 7th) but still a pretty damn good core unit. WS5, S5 (if they charge), Killing blow and a 6+ 5++. But they come in at Chaos Warrior cost. The Frenzy and Hatred loci are tempting but fairly pricey once you have already dropped 100 points on a Herald
Bloodcrushers - Not exactly Skullcruchers but still pack a pretty heavy punch.
According to Mathshammer one of the (if not the) best units in terms of damage output for DoC.
Flesh Hounds - Love these guys, they can Ambush and pack enough of a punch to cut through most things
Skullcannon - Arguably overpowered/undercosted. Excellent.
Bloodthrone - I have never used this. In a mono Khorne list perhaps it has some viability spreading loci.. but only 6". I think not.
Skulltaker/Karanak - These are quite expensive, but quite fun to play with and could probably be surprisingly effective if things fell your way. In no way optimised.
Bloodthirster - I mean what is there to say? You point it at the enemy, get stuck in and let it run riot. Think about your gifts.
Heralds - I want to include them but I am still not entirely convinced it is a good idea. Perhaps in Bloodcrushers, on a juggernaut, for extra survivability
Tzeentch
People hate warpflame.. I've never really had any terrible experiences with it.
I imagine playing a mono-god Tzeentch list would be quite tricky. Their frontline fighting troops are lacking. The opposite of Khorne, magic and shoot the crap out of your enemies. If playing mono-god warpflame probably does require more thought so you don't stack wards on potentially troublesome units.
Pink horrors - In terms of fighting, they are pretty crap. They do however count as wizards and generate a spell so can happily spaff 6 dice if required with basically no repercussions, and can generate new models through kills.
Flamers - Another "not-what-they-used-to-be-in-7th" unit, thankfully. Still excellent in my opinion. BS4, S4, D6 multiple shots, skirmishers and relatively okish in combat? Yes please.
Screamers - Never used, they look like decent warmachine hunters to me.
Burning Chariots - Quite nifty although a bit soft. If you're going to be fighting try and do it from the flank or rear.
Blue Scribes - Never used them, I don't like them. Quite like the model.
Changeling - A walking VHS with a magic level. Can be incredibly annoying. 170 points though...
Kairos - He is steep points-wise, but he is bloody brilliant. He can't fight for toffee. But he is still marvelous. He can choose 4 spells for each head (ie 8) from the rulebook lores and is a Tzeentch Loremaster. He can fly, he has a 4++ and he gets 1 re-roll per turn. T5 & 5 wounds too..
Lord of Change - I am a big fan of all the Greater Daemons. Consider your gift choices though! Especially for LoC since it is a bit of a hybrid caster and is probably the least able fighter out of all of them. The Wand of Whimsy always tempts me
Heralds - I don't really love the loci for Tzeentch. You can always slap one on a disc though and they can be quite annoying for your enemy.
Nurgle
Definitely the easiest Daemon faction to play in a mono-god list. They are tough and difficult to remove whilst still being effective in close combat. They have access to magic but their shooting phase is limited
Plaguebearers - Excellent. Really love them, one of the best core choices in the game. S4 T4, -1 to hit them and they hit back with poisoned attacks. If you have a decent block of these a Herald is well worth while. Not only because Nurgle Heralds are more survivable but also because the Nurgle loci are quite cool - pimped poison attacks or regeneration. Also regenerates models quite quickly via the lore of Nurgle.
Plague Drones - I have never used them but they look very Nurgle-y. Tough as nails. Not exactly massive amount of damage though.
Beasts of Nurgle - Nurgle just doesn't die. And these are among the worst culprits. Can issue challenges. T5, W4, -1 to hit and regeneration. Also put out D6+1 attacks (poisoned) at S4. Love these.
Nurglings - Pretty crap but that's what you expect. Scouts
Epidemius - Awesome in mono-nurgle. All wounds caused by daemons of nurgle add to the tally which just progressively pimps your army. 7 wounds +1 S to all your forces, 14 wounds +1 T, 21 wounds Killing Blow, 28 wounds re-reroll all failed ward saves. He also gives his unit 5+ Poison Attacks and is not bad himself at WS5 W5 T5 W4 and puts out a total of 9 attacks.
Kugath - An extra wound & attack, and a rock lobber strapped to his back for north of 250 points extra. Limited to level 1 magic too. Not a great deal in my book.
Great Unclean One - As I said before, I love a Greater Daemon. The toughest most survivable option. Not the most mobile though by Daemon standards, a "mere" movement 6. The Nurgle gift weapon options are pretty nice too.
Heralds - One of the better Herald options since they roll with T5, -1 to hit and a 5++. Plus they will also benefit from whichever loci you will select. They can also take a Palanquin which gains them 2 extra wounds and some extra attacks for 50 points..
Slaanesh
I like Slaanesh. So fast. Bit of a glass cannon though. Really excellent at cutting through chaff and low armour troops, but start to struggle when things like Ironbreakers show up.
Daemonettes - They suffer a little in the new book, but are still WS5, I5, 2 attacks with Armour Piercing. I like the ASF Herald loci option but again at 140 points for a T3 2W model, you are relying on WS and a 5++ for defence. ASF Daemonettes are absolutely terrifying for low armoured troops though. They just blend them. Movement 6.
Seekers - Super fast Daemonettes, if M6 wasn't fast enough for you. Fast cavalry with Poisoned Attacks. Can be useful although I do find them a little lightweight.
Seeker Chariots - The Exalted ones hit quite hard at 2D6 +1 impact hits & Armour Piercing with a mini Herald on top, but they are quite lightweight. They rely on 8 wounds to survive. The regular Chariot comes in pretty cheap point-wise though so isn't a bad option
Fiends - Quite like these, M10 with 3 attacks and a stomp each. They also penalise enemy WS and I and are Armour Piercing. Excellent on a flank.
Hellflayers - Never used one. I don't really see why you would. I guess it is just a delivery system for the Exalted Alluress and a hope that the Impact hits will pimp their attacks a bit further. Not that expensive I guess.
The Masque - I have first hand experience of this recently. Really really super annoying to play against
Single Character with Movement 10 so is practically impossible to tie down. Toughness 3 and only 2 wounds but with a 3++ and puts out some reasonable damage with WS7, 5 Attacks at S4 Armour Piercing. All the while gimping one of your units Strength or Leadership by -1 (or Initiative but why would you choose that..). 140 points so an interesting option..
Keeper of Secrets - I love KoS. A statline of M10, WS9, S6, T6, W5, I10, A6 gives you some really awesome options. It is so rapid you can just wang it straight into things and go mad. It also has some really nice gift options. You can trade your lesser gift for the ASF sword and you are basically guaranteed to be re-rolling. Or you could just roll it naturally. All of the Greater gifts are pretty decent for it to roll. The Lash of Despair is also an interesting one, with 2D6 multiple shots at BS6 S6. Also the lore of Slaanesh is particularly nasty in my opinion. Acquiescence & Cacophonic Choir are killer, they can completely gimp your opponents movement. Slicing Shards can work really well in combination with things like the Masque and Phantasmagoria (which is excellent in general - reverse cold blooded). You can always use your KoS as a more defensive super mobile caster who also smashes face if required. I find them really flexible and always bad-ass.
Other Stuff
Daemon Prince - Cheap alternative for a Greater Daemon. Not as good as the Warriors version. Never actually used one as Daemons...
Furies - They are cheap I will give them that. The cheap chaff alternative
Soul Grinder - Never used one. They look fairly decent though. S6, T7 W6 with a thunderstomp. Not super expensive at 250 points, it will require attention from the enemy. It also gives you some shooting. I tend to prefer to get my Daemons into combat ASAP though
Lore of Tzeentch:
A pretty decent lore with some strong spells. A little boring in my opinion but what can you do. Mainly damage causing spells and requires thought regarding warpflame i.e. If you target the same unit with multiple spells you only have 1 warpflame test so you can potentially limit the regeneration you may be giving out (but also the damage you may have got)
Blue Fire of Tzeentch (Sig Spell) - A potentially decent magic missile. Pretty bog standard, D6 hits, D6 Strength.
Treason of Tzeentch - Can be very useful, causing enemies to test on the lowest Ld in the unit, plus not allowing General or BSB boosts/re-rolls.
Pink Fire of Tzeentch - Dropping the teardrop template on enemies is always nice. Random Strength.
Bolt of Change - A bit like an auto-hitting Bolt Thrower causing a Strength D6+4 hit with Multiple Wounds (D3).
Glean Magic - Quite cool. A roll off with an enemy wizard, if you win you inflict a S3 hit and steal one of their spells (also drop their magic level 1)
Tzeentch's Firestorm - Dropping the small or large round template on things with D6 Strength hits.
Infernal Gateway - A pretty decent number 6 spell. I have completely obliterated many things with this. 2D6 hits (3D6 if you roll 11 or 12) causing Strength 2D6 hits. Enough to hammer most things.
Lore of Nurgle:
A bit of a mixed lore really. Curse and Rancid Visitations are the highlights.
Stream of Corruption (Sig spell) - A teardrop breath weapon causing toughness tests with no armour saves. Not bad but your Heralds will generally be in combat rather than skulking around in range.
Miasma of Pestilence - Reduce the enemy WS & I by 1 (or D3 when boosted). Average
Blades of Putrefaction - Gives Poisoned Attacks or buffs their PA to a 5 or a 6. Like Gift of the Spider God, it's ok, most handy for stacking.
Curse of the Leper - Now we're talking. Either buff your units by D3 Toughness, or hex the enemies by D3 Toughness. All round goodness.
Rancid Visitations - A magic missile causing D6 S5 hits and requiring a toughness test. The unit keeps taking D6 S5 hits until they pass the test. Also pretty sweet.
Fleshy Abundance - This is pretty pointless unless you have taken the Greater Locus of Fecundity on some of your units, otherwise it is only Beasts of Nurgle which will really benefit. Gives a Regeneration Save (5+) or improves it by 1.
Plague Wind - A magical vortex which causes toughness tests with no armour saves. Only really of use if you throw out the big template at hordes of elves or something. Not the best number 6 spell.
Lore of Slaanesh
The best DoC lore in my opinion, and one of my favourites overall. Some really nasty options.
Lash of Slaanesh - Like a 24" cannonball bounce. Except it's at S3
Acquiescence - The target gets Always Strikes Last and Random Movement (D6). Super awesome spell that is only 6+ to cast. Can really gimp your opponents movement phase and hamper them a lot.
Pavane of Slaanesh - Can snipe enemy characters, forcing a 3D6 Ld test or suffer a wound with no armour saves. Can be pretty handy, especially late game or versus lower Ld armies. Or if you have already gimped the enemy unit with Phantasmagoria.
Hysterical Frenzy - Gives the unit (friend or foe) a +2 Attack Frenzy. the unit suffers D6 S3 hits at the end of each of your magic phases. Much better augment than hex.
Slicing Shards - D6 S4 hits and the target must pass a Ld test or keep suffering them. Nice, especially stacked with Phantasmagoria.
Phantasmagoria - The enemy must take it's leadership tests using an extra D6. Reverse Cold blooded which works nicely with the rest of the lore.
Cacophonic Choir - A hex (so can be cast into combat) inflicting 2D6 hits that wound on a 4+ (no armour saves). If you cause a wound you give the enemy ASL and Random Movement like Acquiescence. Can be boosted to affect all units within 12". One of my favourite spells in the game.
Gifts
You really need to put some thoughts into your gifts, especially now that Heralds are so much more expensive and you are paying for each loci. It is easy to go a bit mad here though, make sure you don't end up with super expensive squishy Heralds. It is also worth remembering you can swap out your gift for a Magic Weapon of the same value from the BRB. I am generally more of a fan of the cheaper gifts, on a Greater Daemon perhaps taking a Greater and 2 Lesser.
Exalted Gifts
These cost 75 points each and I am dubious about them. Mainly because the trade out option is a Hellforged Artefact which I am not that big a fan of. You only really want a 4-6 on the table (+2T, +3S, or roll twice, once on the Lesser table)
Greater Gifts
50 points each, I quite like this table. I find most of the results useful and they generally add some survivability to your Daemon. If you don't get what you like you can swap for the Daemonic Magic Weapons which are quite nice.
Lesser Gifts
25 points each and some nice options. I generally swap out anything I don't like for the ASF sword, especially since Daemons have such high I in general.
All in all I like my Daemons to be super quick and into combat as quickly as possible. They have some nice anti war machine options and some hideously nasty units. Mono-god lists are all very viable but each one has some inherent weaknesses. Nurgle is definitely the easiest to play and the most competitive choice. Mixed lists give you LOADS of options, it just depends what you want to use in any particular game and what you can afford (points and ££ wise). The lores are all quite strong in my opinion (Slaanesh is my fav) and Greater Daemons are just plain fun
Ok so there are a few standout things which if you are after optimal lists, you will want to include. These are Skull Cannons (obviously) & Beasts of Nurgle in my opinion. Nurgle appears to be the obvious choice for most people with the -1 to hit and generally strong toughness, if they are wanting to mono-god. Epidemius can also be a nightmare in mono-Nurgle lists.
I think you can probably play all of the gods reasonably well mono, Khorne will probably be hardest since you get no magic phase, but it's hardly terrible. At least you get across the board Magic Resistance. I find mono lists more advantageous on the reign of chaos thing plus you benefit from the battle standard. My Daemons aren't in a good enough place to play proper mono lists at the moment though.
I find the hardest thing with Daemons now (especially since 7th where they were auto-select) is Heralds. You really want them because of their pimping ability, but they do suck up points and are pretty squishy.
Greater Daemons are totally awesome in my opinion. Keeper of Secrets is my personal favourite. Movement 10. Terrifying.
Several of the special characters are pretty decent too.
Khorne
You know how Khorne works. Tool up with fighty things and get yourself over that battlefield as fast as possible (thankfully Daemons are bloody fast) to try and limit the magic damage you might take.
Bloodletters - Not exactly what they used to be (in 7th) but still a pretty damn good core unit. WS5, S5 (if they charge), Killing blow and a 6+ 5++. But they come in at Chaos Warrior cost. The Frenzy and Hatred loci are tempting but fairly pricey once you have already dropped 100 points on a Herald
Bloodcrushers - Not exactly Skullcruchers but still pack a pretty heavy punch.
According to Mathshammer one of the (if not the) best units in terms of damage output for DoC.
Flesh Hounds - Love these guys, they can Ambush and pack enough of a punch to cut through most things
Skullcannon - Arguably overpowered/undercosted. Excellent.
Bloodthrone - I have never used this. In a mono Khorne list perhaps it has some viability spreading loci.. but only 6". I think not.
Skulltaker/Karanak - These are quite expensive, but quite fun to play with and could probably be surprisingly effective if things fell your way. In no way optimised.
Bloodthirster - I mean what is there to say? You point it at the enemy, get stuck in and let it run riot. Think about your gifts.
Heralds - I want to include them but I am still not entirely convinced it is a good idea. Perhaps in Bloodcrushers, on a juggernaut, for extra survivability
Tzeentch
People hate warpflame.. I've never really had any terrible experiences with it.
I imagine playing a mono-god Tzeentch list would be quite tricky. Their frontline fighting troops are lacking. The opposite of Khorne, magic and shoot the crap out of your enemies. If playing mono-god warpflame probably does require more thought so you don't stack wards on potentially troublesome units.
Pink horrors - In terms of fighting, they are pretty crap. They do however count as wizards and generate a spell so can happily spaff 6 dice if required with basically no repercussions, and can generate new models through kills.
Flamers - Another "not-what-they-used-to-be-in-7th" unit, thankfully. Still excellent in my opinion. BS4, S4, D6 multiple shots, skirmishers and relatively okish in combat? Yes please.
Screamers - Never used, they look like decent warmachine hunters to me.
Burning Chariots - Quite nifty although a bit soft. If you're going to be fighting try and do it from the flank or rear.
Blue Scribes - Never used them, I don't like them. Quite like the model.
Changeling - A walking VHS with a magic level. Can be incredibly annoying. 170 points though...
Kairos - He is steep points-wise, but he is bloody brilliant. He can't fight for toffee. But he is still marvelous. He can choose 4 spells for each head (ie 8) from the rulebook lores and is a Tzeentch Loremaster. He can fly, he has a 4++ and he gets 1 re-roll per turn. T5 & 5 wounds too..
Lord of Change - I am a big fan of all the Greater Daemons. Consider your gift choices though! Especially for LoC since it is a bit of a hybrid caster and is probably the least able fighter out of all of them. The Wand of Whimsy always tempts me
Heralds - I don't really love the loci for Tzeentch. You can always slap one on a disc though and they can be quite annoying for your enemy.
Nurgle
Definitely the easiest Daemon faction to play in a mono-god list. They are tough and difficult to remove whilst still being effective in close combat. They have access to magic but their shooting phase is limited
Plaguebearers - Excellent. Really love them, one of the best core choices in the game. S4 T4, -1 to hit them and they hit back with poisoned attacks. If you have a decent block of these a Herald is well worth while. Not only because Nurgle Heralds are more survivable but also because the Nurgle loci are quite cool - pimped poison attacks or regeneration. Also regenerates models quite quickly via the lore of Nurgle.
Plague Drones - I have never used them but they look very Nurgle-y. Tough as nails. Not exactly massive amount of damage though.
Beasts of Nurgle - Nurgle just doesn't die. And these are among the worst culprits. Can issue challenges. T5, W4, -1 to hit and regeneration. Also put out D6+1 attacks (poisoned) at S4. Love these.
Nurglings - Pretty crap but that's what you expect. Scouts
Epidemius - Awesome in mono-nurgle. All wounds caused by daemons of nurgle add to the tally which just progressively pimps your army. 7 wounds +1 S to all your forces, 14 wounds +1 T, 21 wounds Killing Blow, 28 wounds re-reroll all failed ward saves. He also gives his unit 5+ Poison Attacks and is not bad himself at WS5 W5 T5 W4 and puts out a total of 9 attacks.
Kugath - An extra wound & attack, and a rock lobber strapped to his back for north of 250 points extra. Limited to level 1 magic too. Not a great deal in my book.
Great Unclean One - As I said before, I love a Greater Daemon. The toughest most survivable option. Not the most mobile though by Daemon standards, a "mere" movement 6. The Nurgle gift weapon options are pretty nice too.
Heralds - One of the better Herald options since they roll with T5, -1 to hit and a 5++. Plus they will also benefit from whichever loci you will select. They can also take a Palanquin which gains them 2 extra wounds and some extra attacks for 50 points..
Slaanesh
I like Slaanesh. So fast. Bit of a glass cannon though. Really excellent at cutting through chaff and low armour troops, but start to struggle when things like Ironbreakers show up.
Daemonettes - They suffer a little in the new book, but are still WS5, I5, 2 attacks with Armour Piercing. I like the ASF Herald loci option but again at 140 points for a T3 2W model, you are relying on WS and a 5++ for defence. ASF Daemonettes are absolutely terrifying for low armoured troops though. They just blend them. Movement 6.
Seekers - Super fast Daemonettes, if M6 wasn't fast enough for you. Fast cavalry with Poisoned Attacks. Can be useful although I do find them a little lightweight.
Seeker Chariots - The Exalted ones hit quite hard at 2D6 +1 impact hits & Armour Piercing with a mini Herald on top, but they are quite lightweight. They rely on 8 wounds to survive. The regular Chariot comes in pretty cheap point-wise though so isn't a bad option
Fiends - Quite like these, M10 with 3 attacks and a stomp each. They also penalise enemy WS and I and are Armour Piercing. Excellent on a flank.
Hellflayers - Never used one. I don't really see why you would. I guess it is just a delivery system for the Exalted Alluress and a hope that the Impact hits will pimp their attacks a bit further. Not that expensive I guess.
The Masque - I have first hand experience of this recently. Really really super annoying to play against
Single Character with Movement 10 so is practically impossible to tie down. Toughness 3 and only 2 wounds but with a 3++ and puts out some reasonable damage with WS7, 5 Attacks at S4 Armour Piercing. All the while gimping one of your units Strength or Leadership by -1 (or Initiative but why would you choose that..). 140 points so an interesting option..Keeper of Secrets - I love KoS. A statline of M10, WS9, S6, T6, W5, I10, A6 gives you some really awesome options. It is so rapid you can just wang it straight into things and go mad. It also has some really nice gift options. You can trade your lesser gift for the ASF sword and you are basically guaranteed to be re-rolling. Or you could just roll it naturally. All of the Greater gifts are pretty decent for it to roll. The Lash of Despair is also an interesting one, with 2D6 multiple shots at BS6 S6. Also the lore of Slaanesh is particularly nasty in my opinion. Acquiescence & Cacophonic Choir are killer, they can completely gimp your opponents movement. Slicing Shards can work really well in combination with things like the Masque and Phantasmagoria (which is excellent in general - reverse cold blooded). You can always use your KoS as a more defensive super mobile caster who also smashes face if required. I find them really flexible and always bad-ass.
Other Stuff
Daemon Prince - Cheap alternative for a Greater Daemon. Not as good as the Warriors version. Never actually used one as Daemons...
Furies - They are cheap I will give them that. The cheap chaff alternative
Soul Grinder - Never used one. They look fairly decent though. S6, T7 W6 with a thunderstomp. Not super expensive at 250 points, it will require attention from the enemy. It also gives you some shooting. I tend to prefer to get my Daemons into combat ASAP though
Lore of Tzeentch:
A pretty decent lore with some strong spells. A little boring in my opinion but what can you do. Mainly damage causing spells and requires thought regarding warpflame i.e. If you target the same unit with multiple spells you only have 1 warpflame test so you can potentially limit the regeneration you may be giving out (but also the damage you may have got)
Blue Fire of Tzeentch (Sig Spell) - A potentially decent magic missile. Pretty bog standard, D6 hits, D6 Strength.
Treason of Tzeentch - Can be very useful, causing enemies to test on the lowest Ld in the unit, plus not allowing General or BSB boosts/re-rolls.
Pink Fire of Tzeentch - Dropping the teardrop template on enemies is always nice. Random Strength.
Bolt of Change - A bit like an auto-hitting Bolt Thrower causing a Strength D6+4 hit with Multiple Wounds (D3).
Glean Magic - Quite cool. A roll off with an enemy wizard, if you win you inflict a S3 hit and steal one of their spells (also drop their magic level 1)
Tzeentch's Firestorm - Dropping the small or large round template on things with D6 Strength hits.
Infernal Gateway - A pretty decent number 6 spell. I have completely obliterated many things with this. 2D6 hits (3D6 if you roll 11 or 12) causing Strength 2D6 hits. Enough to hammer most things.
Lore of Nurgle:
A bit of a mixed lore really. Curse and Rancid Visitations are the highlights.
Stream of Corruption (Sig spell) - A teardrop breath weapon causing toughness tests with no armour saves. Not bad but your Heralds will generally be in combat rather than skulking around in range.
Miasma of Pestilence - Reduce the enemy WS & I by 1 (or D3 when boosted). Average
Blades of Putrefaction - Gives Poisoned Attacks or buffs their PA to a 5 or a 6. Like Gift of the Spider God, it's ok, most handy for stacking.
Curse of the Leper - Now we're talking. Either buff your units by D3 Toughness, or hex the enemies by D3 Toughness. All round goodness.
Rancid Visitations - A magic missile causing D6 S5 hits and requiring a toughness test. The unit keeps taking D6 S5 hits until they pass the test. Also pretty sweet.
Fleshy Abundance - This is pretty pointless unless you have taken the Greater Locus of Fecundity on some of your units, otherwise it is only Beasts of Nurgle which will really benefit. Gives a Regeneration Save (5+) or improves it by 1.
Plague Wind - A magical vortex which causes toughness tests with no armour saves. Only really of use if you throw out the big template at hordes of elves or something. Not the best number 6 spell.
Lore of Slaanesh
The best DoC lore in my opinion, and one of my favourites overall. Some really nasty options.
Lash of Slaanesh - Like a 24" cannonball bounce. Except it's at S3
Acquiescence - The target gets Always Strikes Last and Random Movement (D6). Super awesome spell that is only 6+ to cast. Can really gimp your opponents movement phase and hamper them a lot.
Pavane of Slaanesh - Can snipe enemy characters, forcing a 3D6 Ld test or suffer a wound with no armour saves. Can be pretty handy, especially late game or versus lower Ld armies. Or if you have already gimped the enemy unit with Phantasmagoria.
Hysterical Frenzy - Gives the unit (friend or foe) a +2 Attack Frenzy. the unit suffers D6 S3 hits at the end of each of your magic phases. Much better augment than hex.
Slicing Shards - D6 S4 hits and the target must pass a Ld test or keep suffering them. Nice, especially stacked with Phantasmagoria.
Phantasmagoria - The enemy must take it's leadership tests using an extra D6. Reverse Cold blooded which works nicely with the rest of the lore.
Cacophonic Choir - A hex (so can be cast into combat) inflicting 2D6 hits that wound on a 4+ (no armour saves). If you cause a wound you give the enemy ASL and Random Movement like Acquiescence. Can be boosted to affect all units within 12". One of my favourite spells in the game.
Gifts
You really need to put some thoughts into your gifts, especially now that Heralds are so much more expensive and you are paying for each loci. It is easy to go a bit mad here though, make sure you don't end up with super expensive squishy Heralds. It is also worth remembering you can swap out your gift for a Magic Weapon of the same value from the BRB. I am generally more of a fan of the cheaper gifts, on a Greater Daemon perhaps taking a Greater and 2 Lesser.
Exalted Gifts
These cost 75 points each and I am dubious about them. Mainly because the trade out option is a Hellforged Artefact which I am not that big a fan of. You only really want a 4-6 on the table (+2T, +3S, or roll twice, once on the Lesser table)
Greater Gifts
50 points each, I quite like this table. I find most of the results useful and they generally add some survivability to your Daemon. If you don't get what you like you can swap for the Daemonic Magic Weapons which are quite nice.
Lesser Gifts
25 points each and some nice options. I generally swap out anything I don't like for the ASF sword, especially since Daemons have such high I in general.
All in all I like my Daemons to be super quick and into combat as quickly as possible. They have some nice anti war machine options and some hideously nasty units. Mono-god lists are all very viable but each one has some inherent weaknesses. Nurgle is definitely the easiest to play and the most competitive choice. Mixed lists give you LOADS of options, it just depends what you want to use in any particular game and what you can afford (points and ££ wise). The lores are all quite strong in my opinion (Slaanesh is my fav) and Greater Daemons are just plain fun
