by Amasarac
Taken with permission of Skavenblight
The millennias of the Warhammer World's history is stained with the blood of countless battles, most usually futile. Were one army to rise head and shoulders above the others for even a short length of time, then the world would be overrun by its power. So numerous are the tactics for armies, that I have opted to go for only the mighty hordes of Chaos in this Liber Tacticus. Within these prized pages you will find the secret of destroying your foes upon the battlefield, and most especially useful in Campaigns.
The tactics for the Chaos armies are so vast that I will only cover the plus, minus and interesting of all the abominations and Daemons of the Dark Gods. I have also included a section on each of the gods, Slaanesh, Khorne, Nurgle and Tzeentch.
Soon to be added
Daemons.
Magic.
The Chaos Gods.
Beastmen
Plus:They've
got two wounds and four toughness, so they can take a heap of
punishment, they are also the cheapest troops Chaos can lay their
hands on. Characters can be given Chaos Gifts without an Eye of
God test.
Minus: They've only got three strength and one attack,
they're also subject to infighting.
Interesting: Perhaps use them as cannon fodder to absorb
all the damage that would otherwise hit your more expensive
troops. Use them in huge regiments and engage those small elite
regiments your opponents always have, even if they don't kill
any, the rank bonus will ensure victory.
Chaos Warriors
Plus:They have
lots of armour, two attacks, four strength and toughness and huge
weapon skill, a Chaos Lord is virtually immortal.
Minus: They cost lots and don't have many wounds. Being
foot troops they are also fairly slow. Champions have to take Eye
of God tests after a Chaos Gift.
Interesting: They are really good against elite cavalry,
as they can have just as much armour, and fight better usually.
In large regiments they are great as a steamroller.
Chaos Knights
Plus: They're
virtually indestructible, have high weapon skill, toughness,
strength and wounds, they've got two attacks. Chaos Steeds are
better than normal horses.
Minus: They cost a packet(money and points), so they're
difficult to get into larger regiments. Always attract lots of
missile fire and magical offences.
Interesting: They are amazingly destructive on a charge,
so if you have any allies with access to transportation spells,
keep your Knights back initially, out of the way of missile fire,
then zap them forwards to charge those annoying missile troops or
war machines.
Minotaurs
Plus: They are
really fast, strong, tough and have lots of wounds, they also
have two attacks and high leadership, to overcome their
Bloodgreed. Frenzy if disturbed while feeding.
Minus: Bloodgreed stops them from tearing enemy troops
apart when pursuing, as they can't. Low initiative, and quite
expensive.
Interseting: A Minotaur with the mighty leap Chaos Gift
has a potential charge of 24 inches ignoring terrain, if, by some
miracle- or house rule- a regiment of Minotaurs could all be
given Mighty Leap, they would be able to overcome the penalty of
Bloodgreed. Well deployed against Chariots and other war
machines, as they are amazingly resilient to damage.
Chaos Chariots
Plus: Very fast
and the only war machine available to Chaos armies. Scythes make
them devastating against rank-and-file troops, particularly elves
and Skaven, as low toughness makes them most vulnerable.
Relatively cheap if you use Beastmen. Can carry a magic standard.
Minus: Vulnerable after the charge, especially Beastmen.
Prone to charge out and end up separated from the rest of the
army.
Interesting: Ideal against elite elf troops such as
Phoenix Guard and Black Guard, as their armour is rendered
useless by the strength of the charge, as is their weapon skill
if they are only a small unit. Best deployed with Daemonettes on
Steeds to support them, or Chaos Knights, but they are very
expensive.
Chaos Hounds
Plus: Fast,
tough and strong with two attacks, can have a character to lead
them. Very cheap(by Chaos standards).
Minus: The character slows the regiment to infantry speed.
Low leadership without a character. No standards or equipment
options.
Interesting: Giving the champion a Daemon Steed(Magic
Item) to speed him up to the speed of the Chaos Hounds, gives the
Hounds the Leadership bonus, and the regiment keeps its speed.
Harpies
Plus: Able to
fly, strong, tough, two wounds. Very cheap. They can be arranged
into ranks.
Minus: Cannot take a character, even if capable of flight.
Low leadership, only one attack. No equipment options or
standards.
Interesting: With several ranks and the ability to fly
high, they are exceptional anti-wizard troops. They can also
catch fleeing troops that the Minotaurs are unable to pursue.
Dragon Ogres
Plus: Fast,
tough, superhuman strength, heaps of attacks and three attacks.
Light armour gives them 4+ save. Double-handed weapons are
actually good in their hands, as they can take heaps of
punishment. Fear. Lightening Frenzy.
Minus: Cost absolutely HEAPS! Low Leadership, attract too
much missile fire. Low initiative.
Interesting: Use a sorcerer on a disc with the Skull Staff
to find the Banner of Wrath(High Elves love it), and send your
Dragon Ogres to attack it, as the Banner has to strike the
nearest targets. As long as they don't break, the Dragon Ogres
are frenzied.
Centaurs
Plus: Fast and
the only missile troops in a Chaos Horde. Good shots, strong
enough to matter, two wounds and two attacks. Can carry lances
and many other weapons(including bows). Can be lead by a Champion
and can carry a magic standard. Cheap for cavalry.
Minus: Low weapon skill and toughness for cavalry. Low
initiative and leadership. Can't carry much armour.
Interseting: Used with a Chaos Sorcerer of Slaanesh on a
Steed of Slaanesh. The Mage traps the enemy and the Centaurs
shoot them up from a distance, charging with lances if they get
free. Slaanesh spells really good at trapping enemy regiments and
turning characters to spawn.
Trolls
Plus: Strong,
three attacks and they have three wounds. Quite fast. Fairly
tough and a bit of protection. Special rules.
Minus: Cost lots, Stupidity, poor fighters, almost no
initiative and tiny leadership. Cause Fear and can regenerate.
Interesting: Get Rock Trolls against wizards and River
Trolls against Goblins and the like, if they don't run in fear,
their inability to hit or wound will make them. Give them a
Champion with some sort of movement bonus to ignore stupidity and
maintain movement.
Daemons
Bloodthirsters
Plus: Awesome
warriors(M6 WS10 BS10 S8 T7 W10 I8 A10 Ld10!), near
indestructible, different Daemon Save, Axe of Khorne, able to
fly, causes terror.
Minus: Have no magic, unlike other Greater Daemons. Costs
more than anything else in the whole game! They always seem to
attract too much incoming fire.
Interesting: Use your imagination! Remember though, a
Bloodthirster flying high can't be hit by missile fire from the
ground, and it also stops the enemy from flying high(especially
after you crush an entire regiment of Harpies in one round!) as
an added psychological bonus.
Bloodletters
Plus: Weapon
skill 5, strength 4, two attacks, Daemonic saving throw and
Hellblades make for a very nasty anti-anyone regiment, quite
cheap as far as Daemons go. They also cause fear.
Minus: Only three toughness and four movement, so they get
beaten up by a lot of missile fire before they can be put to use.
Interesting: Great anti-character troops, especially if
they get to charge, sheer numbers, attacks, and most importantly
wounds, will take down even the mighty Nagash(I've seen it
done!). Daemons are fairly susceptible to magic, though, so be
careful.
Flesh Hounds
Plus: Very
fast(M10) and good fighters(WS5 S5 T4) they also have two wounds
and a Daemonic Saving Throw. The Collar of Khorne protects them
from magic and magic weapons. They cause fear.
Minus: Only one attack, quite expensive.
Intersting: They make excellent Ôhunters', especially
when hunting Wizards, as there isn't much the wizard can do about
it, they're dogmeatÉ
Great unclean Ones
Plus: They are
potentially deadly foes, and remarkably resilient to all
attacks(T8 W10). As with other Greater Daemons, they are
virtually indestructible Chaos Sorcerers, although they can only
draw from one deck. Causes Terror, has a Daemonic Saving Throw
and can power-vomit.
Minus: Very slow as far as Greater daemons go, not as
powerful as other Greater daemons, low initiative. Always tends
to get beaten up a lot before they can make to the battle.
Interesting: Give them a horde of Nurglings to lead, and
when(if) they get to the battle, they are well capable of
devastating the enemy. If you can somehow get them around to
behind the enemy, they cause a lot of turmoil, especially with
the vomit, which makes the enemy flee straight towards the rest
of your army!
Plaguebearers
Plus: Good
fighters(WS5 S4 A2) and coupled with the Plaguesword, they are
amazingly destructive. Quite cheap for what you get(one wound
kills on 4+!) and the added bonus of magic. Daemonic Saving Throw
and cause fear.
Minus: Low toughness, and not exactly fast.
Interesting: Excellent against monsters and characters if
used in large regiments, as they almost always kill in one round
of combat, especially against Elves, Humans and Skaven. Nurgle
Magic is made to get in close, so they are in their environment.
If you can cast Miasma of Pestilence on the Plaguebearers, then
they can cut the enemy to ribbons, quite literally.
Beasts of Nurgle
Plus: Very
tough, has three wounds and potentially lots of attacks. Their
Slime Trail is handy also, no armour save permitted on any hits
made by the Beasts. Daemonic Saving Throw and they cause fear.
Minus: Amazingly slow(unless you're a Dwarf), not such
great fighters or even very strong. Low initiative and leadership
for a Daemon. They cost quite a lot for what you get(an
insidiously evil lump of blubbering slime).
Interesting: They can be excellent in groups of about five
against rank-and-file, as no amount of armour will save them, so
even at strength three they can be deadly. They don't break too
frequently, as the slime trail stops the enemy from attacking.