Warriors of Chaos Tactics

Core Units

Chaos Warriors - your basic infantry, they outclass the elites of most armies but cost 14 points before upgrades. You will want to upgrade both their weaponry and marks, but beware of spending too much on them. Typically people go either 5-wide in a more sword + shield unit with MoT or MoN, or offensive 6-wide with halberds (and potentially shields - though you can't use those in combat) and either MoK or MoN again. AHW and MoK may seem attractive but against most opponents S5 is better than S4 with an additional attack. Great weapons aren't seen much as you have other options for high strength, and it's better to use halberds to take advantage of your good initiative. Hordes are rare due to the exorbitant cost - units are generally 12 - 24, with 3 ranks at 15 or 18 the most common. Musician and standard should always be taken - take a champion if you've got a character joining the unit. A popular magic standard is the Banner of Swiftness to help you get into combat sooner; the Blasted Standard works well with Tzeentch warriors.

In my view it's not a true Warriors of Chaos army without Chaos Warriors - unless you're going for a heavy marauder or Throgg's monstrous horde theme, or chariot spamming. Most armies will take at least one, and usually two blocks of these guys.

Chaos Marauders - a much less popular option these days; partly because the models aren't so good, but also because while they are cheap, they are not that cheap and the price quickly stacks up again with necessary upgrades. They're also mounted on 25mm bases - not ideal for cheap fodder units. If people take them, it's generally with the flails or great weapons plus MoK for suicidal high-strength attacks and no worries about panic. I can't recommend them as a tarpit due to cost and base size - but if you were to do that, MoT or MoN, light armour and shields is the loadout you want.

Forsaken - more random, expensive and slightly worse Chaos Warriors, they're an unpopular option (also possibly because their kit was stupidly expensive before GW dropped it). However, I think the problem is that people inevitably compare them to a block of marked and tooled up Chaos Warriors, whereas in fact they play a very different role in your army. They key things to note are that the minimum unit size is just 5, their movement is 6, and they're Frenzied - so Immune to Psychology. I'd suggest a minimum sized unit with Mark of Slaanesh for Swiftstride - at 105 they're less than half the cost of a unit of knights yet almost as mobile, and can chase off pretty much all chaff, as well as scaring heavy cavalry with the potential Killing Blow (their unpredictability will bother your opponent at least as much as it does you, as he won't know what he can risk countering them with). You can also use them to smash into a flank, though you'll probably want more of them for that so they disrupt and MoK for the offensive output. Alternatively if you want a speedy army, you could use them as your core infantry instead of warriors, though a Throgg troll army does that better.

Chaos Warhounds - your regular cheap chaff. 6 points each, and can be upgraded with Vanguard (2 points each) or Scaly Skin 6+/Poisoned Attacks (1 point each). The big concern with these hounds is they're only Ld5 and likely to run at the first sign of danger - and you don't want them causing panic in your expensive blocks. Even with poisoned attacks (don't bother unless against a monster-heavy list) they won't do much damage, but their role is more to get in the way - though they're good warmachine hunters. Vanguard is a decent upgrade, and gets them away from panicking your blocks, though don't fall into the trap of thinking you have to vanguard everything - keeping some back can help you out later on. They're worth it for the extra drops alone to dominate deployment. Most armies have 2-3 units of them.

Chaos Chariots - a solid chariot that's both tough and puts out a good amount of damage, and also gives you the potential for a decent all-mounted army. MoK for once is not so recommended, as you can't flee - and sometimes you might want to, as chariots need to be charging, not being charged. MoN gives them some durability in combat, and MoS prevents them panicking - both are good upgrades, though they are one unit that functions just fine without a mark. They're good flankers to scare off chaff (chariots can't march so aren't actually that fast, but they have a big charge range that people will want to steer clear of), and can turn a combat by smashing into the flanks. If your core requirement is already taken care of, consider Gorebeast Chariots. Alternatively, you can chariot spam with an all-Chariot core, for a mobile and nasty list.

Marauder Horsemen - light cavalry, and a rare ranged threat! They can get expensive and are very fragile, so watch the upgrades - and avoid light armour, as you want to stay as Fast Cavalry. A vanguarded unit with MoK and flails can put out some solid damage, but more common are units with javelins (for the range) paired with either flails or spear + shield; MoS helps to avoid panic whilst still allowing you to make use of Feigned Flight (which Khorne can't).

Special Units

Hellstriders of Slaanesh - supremely fast at movement 10, but very expensive and just as fragile as Marauder Horsemen. They don't put out a great deal more damage, yet need to win combats to get their buffs - if you're ever lucky enough to get to the third level of buffs, you probably won't have more than 1 of them left. You could use them as a speedy bunker for a wizard on Steed of Slaanesh - beyond that, just get them into combat as quickly as possible and avoid being shot at. If you are taking them, the strength bonus from the spears is probably better than re-rolls to hit from the ASF hellscourges.

Chosen - better Chaos Warriors, they clock in at an extra 4 points per model, with an additional pip of WS, a larger 50 point magic standard allowance, plus the Rewards of Chaos special rule - a free roll on the Eye of the Gods table that applies to the whole unit (excepting Spawndom/Daemon Princehood - those just apply to the champion). It is strongly recommended to pair this with a nearby Warshrine to get an extra dice to roll for this - as that will virtually assure you the result you want. Think of MoT sword + shield Chosen with a 3+/4++; MoN with halberd + shield and Toughness 5; MoK halberd chucking out 4 attacks per model - or 3 at S6 at their initiative! Actually you'll often want to use this roll to balance out your offence/defence better - a toughness or ward boost for halberd Chosen, and attacks or strength boost for hand weapon + shield ones. Frighteningly expensive and not from your core - generally your Chaos Warriors will do the job fine, but a block of these is obscenely powerful. Bear in mind shields cost double what they do for Warriors (at 2 pts a model) so are only usually worth it if pairing with a hand weapon for the Tzeentchian build.

Chaos Knights - one of the best heavy cavalry units in the game (only Blood Knights and Grail Knights could claim to better them) - but the general weakness of heavy cavalry in 8th edition plus the strength of your other options means these aren't such an obvious auto-take. Usually given ensorcelled weapons rather than lances so they're constantly S5 and less reliant on the charge; any mark actually works well with them. Their problem is that they don't offer much more than halberd Chaos Warriors do, and you've got harder hitting options (e.g. Skullcrushers, Gorebeast Chariot, Trolls) and you can get higher strength attacks elsewhere (Ogres, Dragon Ogres). When taken, it's usually as a small 5-6 man unit with ensorcelled weapons and a mark of your choice. If going big on them, they're often boosted by an Exalted Hero on Daemonic Mount, though your casters are also durable enough to risk combat and use them as a bunker. Always remember they cause Fear.

Chaos Ogres - a decent choice, particularly if you've only got 0-1 infantry blocks in your core. Great weapons are the way to go with your rubbish initiative, while MoN helps to keep them going in combat - MoK as ever is good for offensive power but a bit too unreliable on these, who really need to be in the right fight to have an impact. Usually seen in medium units of 6-9 models.

Dragon Ogres - not too dissimilar to regular Ogres - they're just more expensive and a bit better. Faster, more wounds, and stronger - you could give them halberds to still strike at S6 but at initiative - but with I2, great weapons remain the best choice, because S7 will pulverise heavy cavalry, monsters and suchlike. Do watch out for heavy cavalry charges though, as Dragon Ogres are certainly not invincible. Keep them in small units, throw them into monsters as a priority, and cavalry as a second choice.

Chaos Trolls - a strong choice and cheap for the damage they put out, plus tough so long as you stay away from Flaming Attacks; always take the additional hand weapons because you won't always be fighting heavily-armoured units. They need babysitting due to their Stupidity, so they should be in the middle of your lines - near your BSB and General (or if your General is a flying Daemon Prince type away from your battleline then you may need to join a character to the unit). Usually taken at around 9 models to put out a solid amount of damage, or if you're taking Throgg, then go for as big a horde as you have models for.

Chimera - brilliant, the Chimera is one of the best WoC units. It puts out a great amount of high strength damage, and the breath weapon upgrade boosts its damage output further (always take that). The Regeneration upgrade is similarly useful to make your monster super-tough and protect you against warmachines. The Poisoned Attacks aren't that expensive either - you can't go wrong with all three upgrades. Your only weakness is terrible Leadership - you don't want some Warhounds being wiped out resulting in you panicking off the table. That's why the Chimera is usually paired with a mobile Lord (which is a common feature of a WoC army) to counter this. Chimeras are extremely versatile - early on use them to rush up the table to hunt warmachines and vulnerable wizards or ranged units, then turn them back for rear charges when your infantry blocks get into combat. You can also use them to smash any chaff unit, decimate weak infantry blocks, or even as a ranged threat so you get to roll some dice in your shooting phase.

Gorebeast Chariot - best chariot in the game (sorry, Settra). It's ridiculously tough and puts out a stupendous amount of damage - even off the charge, you've got 7 S5 attacks, and the price is reasonable. The only downside is the plodding M6 which means you probably won't have it charging up the board like a normal one. Use it either as a guard for your backfield (what backfield, you're WoC?) or take 2-3 and treat them like a front-line unit - on the charge they can paste most units. MoN is popular for making them even tougher; MoK is the other one chosen because then their damage output will make your opponent cry.

Chaos Warshrine - also a mount choice, though its use as one is covered in the mounts section, above. The WoC buff-mobile, its main weakness is that it's slow - just M6 and as a chariot, it can't march, so you're going to struggle to keep up with your front lines. It's reasonably tough, but the damage output isn't great, and it's not good enough to solo combats against the ranked units you'll find in the middle of your opponents' lines - potentially keep it just to the side of your main lines to deal with anything trying to get around you. It can be useful if you're loaded up on champions and characters, and especially if you have Chosen - both for the extra dice on the Eye of the Gods, and also the bound spell that gives D3 nearby characters rolls on that unit. If you're going to bring it, don't skimp on your champions, and have lots of Daemon Prince (and Spawn) models to hand. MoT is the obvious choice, to improve its ward to 3++.

Putrid Blightkings (End Times: Glottkin expansion) - the first of the End Times "big infantry", they're mounted on 40mm bases and have 3 wounds but are still infantry. That means you still need 5 of them for a complete rank (and as a minimum unit size), they can get Killing Blow'ed or Stomped, and you only get 1 supporting attack per model for the back ranks - those are big drawbacks for such expensive models on such large bases. That's not to say they're bad - at 40 points each you get a 3 wound Chaos Warrior with WS6, 3 attacks, and toughness 5, loaded up with Chaos armour, shields, "an array of weaponry" (your choice at the start of each combat - not round - of HW + shield, 2 x HW, or GW), plus Mark of Nurgle. You can also get full command plus a 50 point magic banner. They are very hard to shift, and have good damage output - but don't expect to break Steadfast, and your unit is going to have an unwieldy frontage. Their choice of weaponry gives them a good degree of versatility, which is always useful, but other units excel at particular roles better. It's hard to recommend a unit larger than 5-6, because additional models make your unit too wide or waste attacks.

Skullreapers (End Times: Archaon expansion) - another End Times "big infantry" units with the same drawbacks as listed on Putrid Blightkings. Also coming in at 40 points per model, they're unsurprisingly more offensively orientated - two hand weapons as default, but should always be upgraded to paired Ensorcelled Weapons (5 pts per model) plus MoK for 5 S5 attacks per model. Toughness is reduced to 4, though, and there's obviously no shields. They can get a Champion or Standard (plus 50 point magic banner) but obviously aren't audiophiles as they can't get a musician. They put out a lot of damage, but there are other Khorne units that do it better - regular halberd Warriors and Skullcrushers in particular, and Wrathmongers from the same kit. If you're really ambitious, take a horde of 30 with champion for a total of 71 attacks... if you can engage an enemy with a 40cm frontage.

Plague Toads of Nurgle (Tamurkhan expanion) - These can be taken as Special choices if you have at least one character in your army with the Mark of Nurgle. They're a daemon with 2 wounds, T4 and a 5++ so are fairly hard to shift, but don't really justify their 24 points cost. Strangely they don't even appear to have the Mark of Nurgle, which is a bizarre oversight - with that they could have made a decent roadblock. As it is, their damage output is mediocre for their cost, even with Poisoned Attacks. If you're going to use them, take a minimum sized unit for 72 points and use them to tie down a flank or hold up chaff.

Chaos Dwarf Infernal Guard (Tamurkhan expanion) - You can take one unit of "Chaos Dwarf Infernals" as a Special choice for every Sorcerer-Prophet or Daemonsmith in your army. Chaos Warriors provide a better combat block, so you'd only really take these for the ranged weapons - Fireglaives or Hailshot Blunderbusses. The latter need to be taken in units of well over 20 to get the best out of them, so are prohibitively expensive in a WoC army. Fireglaives are a more interesting choice, giving you a better range and some solid combat output. Their high Leadership could help to hold down a flank, and they're a useful addition if you're wanting to include a Chaos Dwarf contingent - but you'll have to find points for a CD character to take them, which isn't easy (see the character section above). 

Chaos Dwarf Infernal Ironsworn (Tamurkhan expanion) - You can take one unit of "Chaos Dwarf Infernals" as a Special choice for every Sorcerer-Prophet or Daemonsmith in your army. Tough, skilled, and hitting at S5, but so slow and expensive. Your Chaos Warriors and Chosen do it better, and can be boosted with Marks. Adding in an Infernal Castellan for Stubborn can make them a great anvil, but you'll still have to take a Prophet/Daemonsmith too.

Rare Units

Hellcannon - awesome. The only "regular" warmachine in your army (though expansions allow you access to others), it's also a monster that can inflict some serious hurt in combat while taking a beating. Shooting-wise Doomfire is great, causing loads of damage and forcing Panic tests at -1 Ld (pairs well with Lore of Death), and it's virtually immune to conventional warmachine hunters, being T6 with 5 wounds and 4+/5++. You have to watch out for misfires, which can have catastrophic results such as the loss of the Hellcannon or inflicting miscasts on nearby wizard (probably yours unless you have a DP flying around the place). Ideally keep a BSB nearby to pass your Caged Fury tests, or you'll go running off when you want to be shooting. It's good in combat too: 5 S5 attacks plus Thunderstomp and your handlers, and even better - Unbreakable making it a great roadblock. It's slow and has poor initiative, but works well anchoring your front line - shooting from the start, and then either protecting your flank or smashing into one when needed. Along with Skullcrushers, these are your best Rare pick.

Dragon Ogre Shaggoth - an absolute beast in terms of high strength damage output, but as someone on 1d4chan said - this should have been a Hero choice so you could get some protection on it. Storm Rage is cool, but you're only likely to make much use of it against Skaven. It has a good initiative of 4, so think carefully before giving it a great weapon - though hitting things with S8 is always fun. The Shaggoth can pulp enemy monsters, which tend to have lower initiative, will destroy chaff (and is reasonably fast, so may be able to catch it) and can even handle heavy cavalry so long as it isn't charged or gets to strike first. You want to get it into combat quickly against small/solo units so it's not getting shot at.

Chaos Giant - everyone loves a Giant, but as with all the other armies that can take them, they're not particularly reliable and vulnerable to ranged attacks. It's actually good at killing monsters, and can handle characters fairly well if you're lucky enough to pick one up. Steer clear of monstrous infantry, because then you'll be attacking just the one model. High leadership and Stubborn means it works well independent of the rest of your army, so run it up a flank - it can comfortably handle most flankers who also won't have the shooting prowess to take him down. None of the marks are bad, but Nurgle is the most popular to give it some survivability, while MoS can be useful to ensure you attack before the monsters or infantry that you're targeting. Tzeentch isn't bad (or especially good - it is quite expensive for a 6++) - MoK is actually the worst as you only use your strength against smaller targets and 6 is usually enough there.

Chaos Spawn - terrible, though always have some to hand in case your characters/champions end up as Spawn. It's slow, unreliable and has a poor damage output - the only thing going for it is Unbreakable - it could protect a flank or hold up some chaff for a turn by charging them (you can't flee from Random Movement). The only upgrade worth a second glance is MoT's breath weapon that could net you a load of kills and even win a combat - if you survive until initiative round 2 to use it. Or surprise someone by doing something in your shooting phase.

Skullcrushers of Khorne - the reason armies without monstrous cavalry options hate monstrous cavalry. 1+ save, T4 and 3 wounds each, they also put out an insane amount of damage (with ensorcelled weapons - when charging: 4 S6 attacks from the mount (including the Stomp) and 3 S5 attacks from the rider; off the charge you've still got 7 S5 attacks per model). Don't bother with lances - your mounts can give you the S6 attacks when you charge, and the reliable S5 throughout is better for the riders. You can take a 50 point magic banner, but they're not generally necessary - you're good enough anyway. Banner of Swiftness is potentially useful to get them into combat even quicker, or Ranger's Standard if you're on a terrain heavy board and want to pull a trick on your opponent; Razor Standard will result in table flips.

They're fairly expensive and Frenzy needs some management, but even so they are well worth taking (and the reason Chaos Knights aren't seen so often) and are a nightmare for you opponent to kill off. They're good enough to run in the centre of your lines (helping you manage Frenzy) where they have the toughness and damage output to manage even against big blocks. Because they're deployed in smaller units, people very rarely take champions on Skullcrushers, to avoid wasting a large portion of the unit's attacks slaying a measly unit champion. Skullcrushers are probably your best Rare choice.

Slaughterbrute - massively underwhelming, it totally fails to live up to its billing as the big, bad, kills monster of chaos. Has S7 attacks, and can get a great WS/Ld when bound to a Lord but let down by a meagre 4 attacks. Sure, it can Thunderstomp too, but the units you want to target with S7 are generally cavalry/monsters that can be thunderstomped. Extra Claws is extra-disappointing as these additional attacks are just S5. It's got at least a bit of protection (T5, 5 wounds and 4+) and the high WS will help it in combat - but a Chimera is a much better choice. If you do really want to use it... make sure you've got a combat Lord with high WS to bind it to, keep that character alive or this will eat your army, and go smash some elite units.

Mutalith Vortex Beast - slightly harder to kill than the Slaughterbrute with 5++ regen, but mediocre at damage dealing as its attacks are just S5 (though D6+2 of them means you will normally get more attacks from your magic support monster than your Slaughterbrute?!?). It's there for the support spell, which can inflict a few wounds via toughness tests and some random fun effects. It's really not reliable and doesn't justify the cost at all, but pairs with the Lore of Nurgle's ability to reduce toughness. I've seen suggestions that it should run up a flank taking out small support units before crashing into the flank of an infantry block - however, half of your Aura of Mutation results (4-6) are best against the larger & closer packed blocks in the centre of lines, so I'm not sold on that approach. Maybe use it to anchor a flank of your centre.

Wrathmongers (End Times: Archaon expansion) - better Skullreapers (see Putrid Blightkings for more on the End Times "big infantry" issues), but upped to 55 points per infantry model! They have S5 base, plus paired wrath-flails that give them an extra attack, +1S in the first round of combat, and D3 impact hits. That means a minimum sized unit of 5 will throw out 5D3 S5 impact hits on the charge and 25 S6 attacks in the first round of combat; S5 in subsequent rounds. That will melt most targets. Again, take in a minimum sized unit, and point them at an elite unit you want to mince.

Chaos Siege Giant (Tamurkhan expanion) - an extra 75 points over a regular Giant, a little slower but with better WS (for what little that's worth). Siege armour is a useful addition for a 5+ save (3+ at range). There are a couple of upgrades - Runes of Hate for Berserk Rage (okay with Ld 10) and re-rolling the number of attacks it gets, Scaling Spikes is useful in siege games to essentially use the giant as a bridge/siege tower (only once it dies though). As ever with giants, the attacks are actually surprisingly effective (so long as you don't fall over) - it's just getting there, and getting to attack that remains a problem. It's not really worth the extra cost over a regular Giant unless you're playing a Siege game.

Bile Trolls of Chaos (Tamurkhan expanion) - 25 points more than a regular troll, and not worth it. They get -1WS, +1T, +1W and +1BS (wahoo!), and their regeneration bumped down to 5++. Their vomit now has Multiple Wounds (D3) and they get Poisoned Attacks plus the 7th edition version of Mark of Nurgle (-1 to hit for shooting, -1WS in combat - you can try persuading your opponent to use the new MoN rules, which is a big step up for them). The extra toughness, wound and improved vomit are all good things, but they just don't justify the cost. If you're using them, you need to find a target that you can make use of their super-vomit against - high armour save and multiple wounds; so monstrous cavalry are an ideal choice.

Chaos War Mammoth (Tamurkhan expanion) - starts at a mere 500 points, and then adding a Howdah, Warshrine - which can then have Marks, pushes it up even further. It has special attacks that actually make its damage output prodigious, whether trampling infantry or goring monsters - it's like a giant on steroids, although at Initiative 1 it'll almost always be striking last. The Mammoth itself is Toughness 7 and has an almighty 10 Wounds, so you know it won't get one-shotted by a cannon - but has no saves as standard, and a poor Leadership of 5 so needs babysitting by your General/BSB. The 50 point Howdah has some funky rules that kind of makes it a rider with a separate Toughness/Wounds (both 6) and 4+ save, counts as a building, and can carry 20 infantry models (from the WoC army book only, apparently, so no Infernal Guard or Putrid Blightkings). While extremely cool, it's a waste as these models can't fight in combat - at best, a handful can throw some axes. The Warshrine is 100 points, which while still T6 has a mere 4 Wounds - but a 4+ save and both itself and the Mammoth get a useful 5++ ward, and the Leadership is boosted to 8. It also gets the Giver of Glory bound spell as per the standard WoC Warshrine. Of the Marks, Nurgle works as standard and applies to the Mammoth too - relatively useful, Khorne lets you re-roll the number of attacks you get for various of the attack types but you also have to deal with the Beserk Rage part of Frenzy; Tzeentch is great as it ups your ward save to 4++ across both models, while Slaanesh makes you Stubborn - also good. 

Both upgrades can be targeted separately by shooting attacks, making them vulnerable to warmachines. The Mammoth doesn't really justify its huge points cost, but that's not really why you take it... you'd field a Mammoth because it looks awesome. The Warshrine is the best upgrade, and MoT is the best of the marks - though all are decent. Smash it into a large unit of infantry and watch it squish them to bits - or take down big monsters. Just watch out for Poisoned Attacks and attacks of S6 or greater, and have a plan to tie up warmachines.

Magma Cannon (Tamurkhan expanion) - a useful artillery piece that burns through multi-wound models such as monstrous infantry and monstrous cavalry, it's a decent choice. Worth making Hellbound for the additional Wound/Toughness, but only if you can afford to keep a Prophet/Daemonsmith nearby to deal with misfires.

Deathshrieker Rocket Launcher (Tamurkhan expanion) - cheap and versatile, it can either do a large template of S3 panic-inducing hits (if you miss it can home in with the smaller template instead) to address big infantry blocks, or target something bigger with a single S8 hit with D6 multiple wounds. Again, a Prophet/Daemonsmith is useful, primarily for the improved accuracy in this case. Well worth taking - or take two, sharing a Prophet/Daemonsmith.

Iron Daemon War Engine (Tamurkhan expanion) - extremely tough (especially when Hellbound) and Unbreakable but unwieldy, and can potentially be held up the entire game by a fast cavalry unit or similar that is immune to being goblinsund down. In combat with an infantry unit, it can hold them up instead all game, slowly grinding them down (watch out for Poisoned Attacks, ridiculous though the concept may seem). The Steam Cannonade is probably a bit more useful at picking things off while you advance into combat than the Skullcracker is. Relatively pricey, and you'll need to deal with your opponent's chaff to avoid having your Iron Daemon end up in the wrong fight.

Dreadquake Mortar (Tamurkhan expanion) - needs the Slave Ogre upgrade to be worthwhile, plus a Prophet/Daemonsmith to address misfires, making it an expensive investment. Hellbound adds more cost, but most warmachine hunters will then bounce off you. It can mince even tough and heavily armoured units, as well as holding them up from moving the next turn though the Quake special rule, plus can target warmachines or monsters if needed.

Other "fluffy" non-army book units

While these aren't "official" Warriors of Chaos army book units, with Games Workshop having ditched Warhammer Fantasy Battles, there's more leeway for players to decide what is appropriate to field or not, and there are a lot of chaosy mutant beasts that didn't make it into the WoC book. I've listed several units from the Storm of Magic and Monstrous Arcanum expansions here that I feel would be appropriate additions to a WoC army. Of course, you will need to agree their use with your opponent first; I suggest all of them would count as Rare choices.

Carmine Dragon (Monstrous Arcanum) - a death magic infused dragon, they come in standard and Emperor versions. While they both have 1 point less of S and WS than you'd expect, they have much higher initiative than dragons usually have, as well as a 2+ armour save. Their breath weapon is lethal, working a bit like a cannonball with a 12" range - choose a point within this range, then then roll an artillery dice (re-roll misfires) to determine the line of effect. Any model under that line suffers D3 wounds with no armour saves allowed. Emperor Carmine Dragons can take wizard levels from the Lord of Death, which works well with their Ld 10. Very useful in both formats, and that breath weapon will terrify your opponent.

Toad Dragon (Monstrous Arcanum) - same as Tamurkhan's mount Bubebolos (see above) except -1 to WS/S/Ld and no Mark of Nurgle. 350 points it's a decent price for a monster that's extremely hard to kill and puts out a good amount of damage (particularly against anything it can Thunderstomp). With its Movement 8 and Immune to Psychology, it makes a surprisingly good flanker, and can even handle large ranked units with lots of static CR thanks to its 2D6 Thunderstomp.

Incarnate Elemental of Death (Monstrous Arcanum) - a kind of suicide-bombing 275 point monster, like the other Incarnates this is Unbreakable, Unstable, and has a 5++. It Hovers, allowing it to get into combat reasonably quickly - exactly where you want it, as thanks to Amethyst Fog any model in base contact takes a wound on a 4+ (or D3 wounds if a Monster) instead of inflicting normal attacks, though it can Thunderstomp too at S6. If you destroy a unit or monster in combat (including running it down) you gain D3 wounds that can add to your starting value! Finally, it can break its hourglass to immediately cause all models in 3D6" to suffer an Amethyst Fog attack, at the expense of taking D6 wounds itself. It's not the most competitive choice around, but your opponent will focus everything they have to take it down before you reach their lines so it works well as a distraction.

Incarnate Elemental of Fire (Monstrous Arcanum) - the weakest of the trio of Incarnates on stats, but that's made up for by its special rules. First off, it has Multiple Wounds (D3) for its regular attacks (not Thunderstomp) making it the bane of Monstrous Infantry. Non-magical attacks have -1 to Hit (i.e. most of them, and effectively a Mark of Nurgle) and it has a 2++ vs Flaming Attacks (shrugging off most Dwarf cannons). It can also immolate buildings/warmachines within 12" - so deploy accordingly so you don't destroy your own. This is mainly a gimmick as your opponent will do their best to engage you before you get anywhere close to their warmachines, but could be fun for blowing up some buildings in a siege type game. Finally, it can cast one of two bound spells - Cascading Fire Cloak (makes your opponent less likely to want to engage you, plus a solid Remains in Play spell) and Piercing Bolts of Burning (a decent Magic Missile and you get it with a cheaper casting value).

Incarnate Elemental of Beasts (Monstrous Arcanum) - a combat beast, and actually pretty good. It throws out 6 S7 attacks, plus has D3 Impact Hits, so it's nasty in combat. It's tougher than most monsters with T6, 5 Wounds and a 5++ ward, and you can get it where it wants to be (combat) quickly with M7 Swiftstride. Howl of the Great Beast is a cool shooting "attack" forcing enemy units within 12" to take a Panic test (-2 Ld if Cavalry/War Beasts) - this combines really well with things like the Hellcannon and Lore of Death (Doom & Darkness), and also means your opponent will want to engage your monster in combat ASAP so it can't use that attack.

Basilisk (Monstrous Arcanum) - a speedy M8 monster that costs 325 points. Its regular stats don't justify that at all, but the Aura of Vitriol potentially does - any model in the same combat with it (friend or foe) is wounded on a 6+ (no armour/regen saves) in the first round, then 5+ and so on down to 2+. It's unlikely you'll get that far, but it can significantly thin down a large but weedy unit, all the while holding out with Cold Blooded. Its shooting attack isn't anything special, as you'll struggle to hit, and even if you do there's a 50% chance the result is insignificant. Another fun but expensive unit.

Dread Maw (Monstrous Arcanum) - they dwell in the Chaos Wastes and are apparently chaos aligned. Unfortunately it can't just appear and disappear as you'd hope from the model/fluff, but it does move much like a flyer (with Random Movement 2D6 - so no Stand and Shoot) and has some Impact Hits. At 280 points (before upgrades) it's far too vulnerable with just T5, 5 Wounds and a 4+ save. If you do get it into combat though, it can be great fun - with a couple of S6 Chomp Attacks with Multiple Wounds (D6) as well as its normal attacks, and some decent enough upgrades. Too risky and unreliable, but a fun choice regardless.

Curs'd Ettin (Monstrous Arcanum) - an expensive 315 point quasi-giant but makes normal attacks instead. It has 5+ Regeneration and Toughness 6, so it a little harder to kill than a regular one, but also switches between two personalities (it has two heads, see?) that makes it hard to know how it's going to perform. There are some good upgrades, including a Leadership debuff to nearby units, 4+ Scaly Skin, Impact Hits or Lvl 1 Wizard - but you can only take one of those. It has a special Hammer Hand attack with Heroic Killing Blow that will make your opponent think twice before engaging it. It's underwhelming for the cost but potentially useful.

Fimir Warriors (Monstrous Arcanum) - originally chaos worshippers they were actually abandoned by the dark gods... but kind of fit nonetheless. They're pricey 75 points Monstrous Infantry but pretty good - offensively they're throwing out 3 S6 attacks each (great weapons - don't swap for the AHW) plus a S5 tail attack per model. Defensively they have Toughness 5, 3 Wounds and a 4+ save, as well as Cold Blooded so they're unlikely to run. They're Ambushers, so they're not going to be in your main front line. They have a bound spell From the Mist that remains in play and causes ranged attacks to be a -1 To Hit and any unit charging the Fimir can be forced to re-roll the result. Starting at 225 points per unit, they aren't cheap, but can be a very worrying unit to appear behind your opponent's army so are an interesting choice.

Warpfire Dragon (Storm of Magic) - a warpstone-riddled dragon, they mainly inhabit the south of the globe, but do venture north; however their main contact seems to be Skaven and possibly Dark Elves rather than Chaos. They can access Dark Magic, which allows you access to a powerful Lore. Stats-wise they're similar to regular dragons, with the options of Young/Standard/Great (but not Emperor) versions. Their Warpfire Aura damages units (friend or foe) within 3" and also causes miscasts on double 1s for spells targeted at it. It has a ranged attack that uses the small template, but potentially damages the dragon if you roll a misfire. Explosive Demise does exactly what the name suggests, so when the Warpfire Dragon is injured you can suicide-charge it into the middle of your opponent's army to troll them. You can actually add Wizard levels for any type of Warpfire Dragon, though that doesn't seem wise given the unreliability of the creature. They're expensive given their suicidal nature - it's a unit that works best surrounded by the enemy, but could be fun to play.

Magma Dragon (Storm of Magic) - could be fitting for a mixed WoC army with some Chaos Dwarves in there, as they've had dealings with Magma Dragons Coming in Young/Standard/Great/Emperor versions, the Magma Dragon is one tough beast. They have an extra pip of toughness compared to "conventional" dragons, and while their armour save is only 4+, they have 5+ regeneration, plus Immune to Psychology. Aura of Heat gives them a 2++ ward against flaming attacks (combining well with their regen, and neuters those annoying flaming Dwarf cannons), and non-magical attacks have their strength reduced by 1! Their breath weapon's strength is equal to the dragon's strength (i.e. starts at 5 for the young version), and any model wounded but not slain has to take a Toughness test or permanently lose -1 T and I. Emperor Dragons can take wizard levels in the Lore of Fire, and also have Largest of Monsters and thus can Thunderstomp anything that doesn't have this rule. Throw it into anything big and scary; just watch out for massed poison attacks (e.g. Witch Elves).

Skin Wolves (Monstrous Arcanum) - chaos-cursed werewolves, and a good fit fluff-wise in a WoC army. They're 45 points Monstrous Infantry with a speedy M7, Regeneration (5+), Fear and Frenzy. Stats are pretty basic MI level but with WS/I5 as the highlights. They have unique marks - MoK gives +1S and is the best option for a large unit so it can actually cause some hurt, MoT ups regen to 4+, MoN gives Poisoned Attacks that are good against monster-heavy lists, and MoS gives ASF that's probably best against chaff/light infantry but costs a whopping 10 points per model. Their best use is probably as a cheap chaff unit, though that's 135 points + mark, and you have to watch out for them failing Frenzy tests on Ld7.

Bonegrinder Giant (Storm of Magic) - much like the regular Giant, albeit dialled up to 11. As with the Giant, it has some surprisingly effective attacks, meaning that if you make it to combat without being shot/falling over, and then survive to Initiative step 1 to attack, the Bonegrinder can actually be quite devastating. It also Thunderstomps everything that doesn't also have the Largest of Monsters rule, which given it's at S8 is an excellent way of crushing other monsters. Movement 10 means it's actually extremely speedy so shouldn't spend more than turn 1 outside of combat. Use it like a regular one - race it up a flank, and crush stuff.

Chaos Dragon (Storm of Magic) - much like the mount version, it comes in a standard variant plus a supercharged Emperor version that adds +1S to each of the Breath Weapons. Cannot take wizard levels, sadly. Good at doing the usual dragony stuff, and not having a character on means you don't need to worry about being challenged by a puny unit champion!

Chaos Spawn (Storm of Magic) - but I've already profiled Chaos Spawn, I hear you cry. Well, the Storm of Magic profile/upgrades are a little different (though still pretty rubbish). The main reason to pay attention is the Great Chaos Spawn option, which at 190 points is actually a much more enticing prospect. It's faster (3D6), has more attacks (2D6+1) and is S6/T7/W5. Basically, it's fast enough to keep up with your battleline, less likely to be shot down first (though yes, a cannon can still end its day) and actually does some useful damage in combat (it also Thunderstomps as a monster). The upgrades are also much more cost effective on the Greater Spawn - MoK for S7 is great for monster hunting, but MoS is probably the best as ASF makes up for your terrible Initiative 1. A spawn that's not bad - about time.

Chimera (Storm of Magic) - an alternate profile with some funky tail/chomp attack upgrades, but doesn't have the option for Regeneration; ignore it.

Cockatrice (Storm of Magic) - should've been in the WoC book from the start. 175 points for a S4/T4/W4 monster - there's got to be something interesting here. The Cockatrice has terrible stats, and the only reason you take one is its Heroic Killing Blow Sniper shooting attack. This is range 12" (you can fly so can get in position, and at least have BS5), S2 (but wounds against Initiative and ignores armour saves) and obviously has HKB/Sniper. I'm not going to do the maths, but this is obviously highly unlikely to come off. That's besides the point. What matters is whether your opponent can risk it coming off. HKB is the ultimate in Distraction Carnifex attributes, and unless your opponent doesn't value their characters/monsters, they will focus on taking it down quickly. Unfortunately with your measly Toughness/Wounds and only a 4+ save to protect you, that won't take long - so take the opportunity to hide behind any cover you can find.

In combat, the Cockatrice at least has 6 Attacks, and can be upgraded fairly cheaply with Poison and a S4 Breath Weapon (more Breath Weapons!!!) - both are a decent investment, but I'm not sure that adding more points onto the Cockatrice is worth the gamble. It's best used against armies with limited to no ranged threats - fly it up a flank taking out chaff (which it can do) and then try your luck against some characters/monsters.

Dark Emissary (Storm of Magic) - a mid level caster, either Lvl 2 or 3, it's a little pricier than a Sorcerer Lord but has some useful abilities stock. It has Regeneration as stock, +1 to all casting attempts (so on a par with a Lvl 4 if you upgraded the Emissary to a lvl 3) and +2 to channelling results. Uses Lore of Death or Shadow. Not a bad character, but you're better off getting a Sorcerer/Sorcerer Lord usually, which you can then customise more to your needs.

Dragon (Storm of Magic) - apparently even the non-Chaos ones have Kinship with WoC, which seems unlikely. I guess this is the chance for Tzeentch haters to add a single-headed dragon to their army. Comes in a range of sizes and flavours.

Fimir Balefiend (Storm of Magic) - another mid level caster like the Dark Emissary, it's cheaper. However, its only save is 6+ Scaly Skin, Cold-blooded isn't clear whether it applies to whatever unit you're bunkered in, and Eye of the Balefiend is like a Skull of Katam (without the downside at least). Again, given its Lore of Shadow/Fire, you're better off customising your own stock character.

Ghorgon (Storm of Magic) - Monstrous Arcanum claims they have "Kinship" with Warriors of Chaos, but they're rubbish even for Beastmen so they've got no chance of making it into a WoC army...

Great Spined Chaos Beast (Storm of Magic) - a nasty beast with some good stats plus Regeneration, plus inflicts S6 S4 hits each combat straight after Impact Hits. Can be upgraded with one of four Marks of Chaos, of which MoK and MoS are the most obvious choices. It's not a bad monster by any means, but a Chimera is better.

Harpies (Storm of Magic) - cheap, flying chaff. A relatively fluffy and extremely useful addition to a WoC army that otherwise lacks much in the way of flying units.

Hydra (Storm of Magic) - steal the Druchii's favourite beast, it's a nasty Regenerating monster with lots of attacks and a breath weapon... though a Chimera can fly too.

Manticore (Storm of Magic) - much like the one your characters can ride, it's overshadowed by the regular army book Chimera.

Trolls (Storm of Magic) - you can already get Trolls! This allows you to upgrade some to River/Stone variants, but that's distinctly un-chaosy, plus your Trolls are good enough.

Wyvern (Storm of Magic) - Monstrous Arcanum claims they have "Kinship" with Warriors of Chaos, but everyone knows they're loyal Greenskin pets. Keep walking.

Army Composition

Warriors of Chaos have a good variety of builds they can access, but most are generally a variant on three sets of Core choices. The "basic" is formed of one or two blocks of Chaos Warriors, padded out if needs by Warhounds/Marauder Horsemen chaff and a Chariot or two. The "chariot" core is much as it sounds, with four or more Chariots plus some more fast moving chaff. Finally, the "Throgg" army unsurprisingly usually features a great horde of Trolls, plus a little chaff.

Whereas for other guides, I've recommended things like x number of tarpits, x number of ranged units and so on, WoC are a little different - for example, you have neither effective tarpits nor much in the way of ranged units.

The only general advice I will give on army composition is to try to include at least one caster (unless mono-Khorne), a BSB (your units are too expensive to have them running away) plus some chaff (vital to get your power units into the right combat).

I'll post four army lists below - all are taken from the Chamber of the Everchosen's 8e Warriors of Chaos Handbook - and give an idea of the variety of builds available:

Bloodlust - 2500 points

Lords - 565 points
Daemon Prince, Chaos Armor, Chaos Familiar, Charmed Shield, Daemon of Nurgle, Daemonic Flight, Dragonbane Gem, Flaming Breath, L4 Wizard, Nurgle's Rot, Scaled Skin, Soul Feeder, Sword of Striking [Lore of Death]

Heroes - 250 points
Exalted Hero, BSB, Burning Body, Daemonic Mount, Enchanted Shield, Mark of Tzeentch, Talisman of Preservation, Third Eye of Tzeentch

Core - 627 points
2 x Chaos Chariot, Mark of Nurgle
18 Chaos Warriors, Halberds, Mark of Khorne, Musician, Standard-Bearer (Banner of Swiftness)

Special - 550 points
2 x Chimera, Flaming Breath, Regenerating Flesh

Rare - 508 points
2 x 3 Skullcrushers, Musician, Standard-Bearer

Grand Total: 2500 points

Doombringers - 2500 points

Lords - 555 points
Daemon Prince, Chaos Armor, Chaos Familiar, Charmed Shield, Daemon of Nurgle, Daemonic Flight, Dragonbane Gem, Flaming Breath, L4 Wizard, Scaled Skin, Soul Feeder, Sword of Striking [Lore of Death]

Heroes - 250 points
Exalted Hero, BSB, Burning Body, Daemonic Mount, Enchanted Shield, Mark of Tzeentch, Talisman of Preservation, Third Eye of Tzeentch

Core - 725 points
2 x Chaos Chariot, Mark of Nurgle
2 x 5 Chaos Warhounds, Vanguard
18 Chaos Warriors, Halberds, Mark of Khorne, Musician, Shields, Standard-Bearer (Banner of Swiftness)

Special - 550 points
2 x Chimera, Flaming Breath, Regenerating Flesh

Rare - 420 points
2 x Hellcannon

Grand Total: 2500 points

Fast & Furious - 2500 points

Lords - 550 points
Daemon Prince, Chaos Armor, Chaos Familiar, Charmed Shield, Daemon of Slaanesh, Daemonic Flight, Dragonbane Gem, Flaming Breath, L4 Wizard, Scaled Skin, Soul Feeder, Sword of Striking [Lore of Slaanesh]

Heroes - 266 points
Exalted Hero, BSB, Burning Body, Daemonic Mount (Barding), Halberd, Mark of Tzeentch, Talisman of Preservation, Third Eye of Tzeentch

Core - 625 points
4 x Chaos Chariot, Mark of Nurgle
2 x 5 Chaos Warhounds, Vanguard
5 Chaos Warhounds, Mutant Poisons, Vanguard

Special - 550 points
2 x Chimera, Flaming Breath, Regenerating Flesh

Rare - 508 points
2 x 3 Skullcrushers, Musician, Standard-Bearer

Grand Total: 2499 points

Invaders - 2500 points

Lords - 398 points
Chaos Lord, Crown of Command, Disc of Tzeentch, Dragonhelm, Flaming Breath, Halberd, Mark of Tzeentch, Soul Feeder, Sword of Striking, Talisman of Preservation, Third Eye of Tzeentch

Heroes - 625 points
Chaos Sorcerer, Dispel Scroll, L2 Wizard, Mark of Slaanesh, Steed of Slaanesh [Lore of Slaanesh]
Chaos Sorcerer, L2 Wizard, Mark of Slaanesh, Steed of Slaanesh [Lore of Slaanesh]
Exalted Hero, Armor of Destiny, BSB, Daemonic Mount, Mark of Tzeentch, Scaled Skin

Core - 717 points
2 x Chaos Chariot, Mark of Nurgle
18 Chaos Warriors, Halberds, Mark of Khorne, Musician, Standard-Bearer (Banner of Swiftness)
5 Marauder Horsemen, Mark of Slaanesh, Javelins, Shields, Spears [Sorcerers go here]

Special - 760 points
6 Chaos Trolls
2 x Chimera, Flaming Breath, Regenerating Flesh

Grand Total: 2500 points

The Monstrous Horde - 2500 points

Lords - 555 points
Daemon Prince, Chaos Armor, Chaos Familiar, Charmed Shield, Daemon of Nurgle, Daemonic Flight, Dragonbane Gem, Flaming Breath, L4 Wizard, Nurgle's Rot, Scaled Skin, Soul Feeder, Sword of Striking [Lore of Death]

Heroes - 620 points
Chaos Sorcerer, Daemonic Mount, Dispel Scroll, Opal Amulet [Lore of Metal]
Exalted Hero, BSB, Daemonic Mount, Enchanted Shield, Mark of Tzeentch, Talisman of Preservation, Third Eye of Tzeentch
Throgg

Core - 775 points
17 Chaos Trolls [Throgg goes here]
2 x 5 Marauder Horsemen, Mark of Slaanesh, Spears, Standard-Bearer

Special - 550 points
2 x Chimera, Flaming Breath, Regenerating Flesh

Rare - 508 points
2 x 3 Skullcrushers, Musician, Standard-Bearer

Grand Total: 2500 points

Getting Started

Chaos as a whole is still very well served by Games Workshop, with many old units still available (mostly under "Slaves to Darkness" for the core Chaos Warrior types, but also some monstrous units categorised elsewhere), new AoS units (such as Tzeentch marauders (Kairic Acolytes), Daemonic Mounts (Varanguard) and more than enough Khornate units), plus more probably on the way (Marauders - "Darkoath Warriors"). Collecting a WoC army, you can be assured that GW will continue to support many of the models needed long into the future. As an iconic longstanding fantasy race and with lots of typical fantasy monsters, you can also get lots of their units from other manufacturers such as Avatars of War, Mierce and many other places.

You might think that Warriors of Chaos, as an expensive elite army, wouldn't be competitive at low points levels. This isn't actually the case - while their numbers will be very small most basic troops will struggle to hurt them at all. Here's a basic 500 points starter list using commonly available models:

• Chaos Sorcerer, Level 1, Lore of Fire - 110 points
  
• 15 x Chaos Warriors, Shields, Full Command - 255 points
  
• 5 x Marauder Horsemen, Throwing Axes, Spears, Shields Musician - 100 points
  
• 5 x Chaos Warhounds, Mutant Poisons - 35 points
  

This gives you a large block of Warriors, and a couple of lighter fast-moving units, also giving you a shooting attack. Your two "chaff" units should help tie up your opponent's chaff/engage their ranged units, and help your Warriors get into the right fight against their main combat unit (which it should mulch). For a bit more punch and less reliance on the Warriors, you could drop the Horsemen for a Chariot and tweak the list to this:

• Chaos Sorcerer, Level 1, Lore of Fire, Enchanted Shield - 115 points
  
• 14 x Chaos Warriors, Shields, Full Command - 240 points
  
• 1 x Chaos Chariot - 110 points
  
• 5 x Chaos Warhounds, Mutant Poisons - 35 points
  

A 1,000 point could be:

• Chaos Sorcerer, Level 2, Lore of Slaanesh, Barded Chaos Steed, Chaos Familiar - 186 points
• 18 x Chaos Warriors, MoK, Additional hand weapons, Full Command, Gleaming Pennant - 359 points
• Chaos Chariot, MoN - 125 points
• 5 x Chaos Warhounds, Vanguard - 40 points
• 5 x Chaos Warhounds, Vanguard - 40 points
  
• 5 x Chaos Knights, MoS, ENsorcelled weapons, Full Command - 250 points

Again, mostly built from readily available models, although the mounted Sorcerer will need converting (the one off the Manticore kit will fit on a steed with the robes trimmed a little first, though a head/arms swap on a regular Chaos Knight would do the job too). The Khorne AHW warriors aren't the best (halberds almost always are, but require conversion work) but will scythe through most units with 4 S4 attacks each, so long as you can deal with their Frenzy (Gleaming Pennant should help ensure they don't charge headlong into the wrong unit). The Warhounds are some useful disposable chaff, and the Knights plus Chariot hold a powerful punch that can take a flank each. Bunker the Sorcerer in with the Knights.

Battlescroll Formations



Battlescrolls are a rather obscure part of eight edition, mainly known from the End Times books; however a trio of them came out with army boxes one Christmas, and one was for Warriors of Chaos.


They can be taken as Allies, so you can add them to non-WoC armies. Units chosen for it do not count towards your percentage of points for each category (Core, Special etc.) - however, this isn't a problem as the one WoC Battlescroll is all made up of Special/Rare units. It is possible to field an army entirely made up of Battlescrolls - but there aren't enough to make that viable.

Creatures of the Chaos Wastes

This was GW's big monster box - your formation includes 1 Mutalith Vortex Beast or Slaughterbrute, 1 Giant, 1 unit of 6 Dragon Ogres (one of whom must be upgraded to a Shartak -- champion), and 2 Chaos Spawn. That's quite a combination of weaker to terrible units.

Why on earth would you consider this? Well there are two special rules - firstly the Dragon Ogre Shartak is effectively this formation's General - models in it cannot use your army's General/BSB's bonuses, and instead have to use the Shartak's Leadership 8 if within 12" -- not great for your Ld10 Giant who should be looking to escape that bubble.

The second rule is the big one - the entire formation begins the game as reinforcements; on turn 2 they automatically turn up, with a1-2 seeing them arrive on the left table edge, 3-4 on the right table edge, and 5-6 means your choice of either. No turning up on your opponent's table edge, unfortunately.

This can really screw up your opponent, who has to plan for the arrival of a big load of monstrous units on both sides of their army. It also potentially overcomes what is a big weakness for many of these units - warmachines - because they cannot be shot at turn 1, and could end up arriving behind enemy lines. Is it the strongest build for an army? Absolutely not - and givent the cost of these units you won't have much else beyond core and characters - but it's probably worth it for the effect it has on messing up your opponent's best-laid plans.

Storm of Magic

Storm of Magic is more about doing crazy stuff that you can't have in regular games - the emphasis is very much on ridiculous fun rather than being super-competitive. This section is really just a footnote to the tactics guide, and isn't going to tell you how to win your Storm of Magic games - it's more just a few words of advice on ways of enjoying them.

Cataclysm Spells & Cantrips

Daemon Princes were made for Storm of Magic - lethal in combat, outstanding at magic, they're the ideal character to bring. Even your regular Sorcerers are good, having better stats and armour than other races' equivalents, and a great selection of mounts to choose from (the flying ones are particularly useful - Discs, Manticores and Dragons).

A brief word on magic, as I'm not profiling all the lores - Nurgle has a great spell that potentially summons a Nurgle Daemon Prince if you inflict enough wounds, while Slaanesh lets you control an opponent's unit! Tzeentch, sadly, isn't quite so fun. Beware the Wrath of Khorne - if you miscast a Cataclysm spell from LoT/LoN/LoS then Khorne hurls a brass skull on the battlefield... on your wizard's head, which will often result in their death (if the miscast didn't manage it). But who cares - Khorne is just jealous.

Remember your cantrips, which are vital for gaining control of fulcrums - which you'll need to make use of the better cataclysm spells. Oh, and to win, though that's a secondary consideration.

Mythic Artefacts

They're all super-expensive and based more around fun than effectiveness. The Arabyan Puzzlebox can help you get even more spells off, but there are other more fun choices out there. The Dawnstar Sword on a WoC Lord level character is game over for whoever faces them, and you can still take your usual magic item allowance in addition to it!

Bound Monsters

I've detailed further up some of the "fluffy" monsters that would fit within a Warriors of Chaos army. However, virtually every monster is the way it is due to the twisting, mutating power of Chaos, and Chaos can turn virtually anything... so almost every monster could fit. Anything that flies, can cast, and is super tough + killy is great for occupying an Arcane Fulcrum; however, beware of the "Unbind Monster" cantrip that is really easy to cast and can see your expensive monster fly off, never to return. I had that happen to an 830 point Level 4 Emperor Magma Dragon that had just rampaged its way onto a fulcrum Keep a dice or two spare for dispelling that.

Sorcerous Pacts

Boost your troops with an allied Daemon, Vampire Counts or Tomb Kings army. Daemons are quite obviously the most fluffy, Tomb Kings very much not at all. Summon some Khorne daemons along to a magical party for the ultimate in Khornate rage. Unbreakable troops are a useful guard for your fulcrums, and Daemons have a few powerful units such as Skullcannons that're a very useful addition to a WoC army.

Thanks, and good spot - I've fixed it. I remember checking the End Times books for using Chaos Dwarves in the Legions lists when I first got some CDs a couple of years ago, and they weren't in it (probably because Grimgor supposedly killed the lot of them, or more likely GW just forgot...)

excellent job....

Good spot, thanks - I've fixed that.

I thought I’d also post a link to a recent warriors review that one of our forum irregulars (Bluke) has put up on you tube. He will often crop up in my battle reports, normally fielding his 3rd edition metal warriors in their eye catching colours!
I’m somewhat biased but thought it was far better the the recent mountain miniature gaming book reviews!