A fresh release of Beasts of Chaos has us ready to put together a new army for Age of Sigmar. Here’s how you can get them to 1000 and play them on the tabletop.
GW gave us an unexpected treat with the release of the Beasts of Chaos book this past week, along with a fantastic start collecting box set.
Today we are going to build around the book and the start collecting box to get your army to 1000 points and see how they might work on the table top.
How To Play AoS: 1000 Points for Beast of Chaos
Start Collecting Box: $85
Get yours for less from Miniature Market
- Great Bray Shaman: 100 points (Leader 1 of 4)
- Cygor (or Ghorgon): 180 or 200 points (Behemoth 1 of 2)
- 10 Ungors (or Ungor Raiders): 60 or 80 points (Ungors are Battleline)
- 10 Beastigors: 120 points (Battleline if Beatlord or Great Bray Shamen general)
That is quite a nice starter set that sets you up with a variety of units that you can build up around. For this, we are going to make the Ungors and the Ghorgon to start with.
Great Bray Shaman: Move 6”, 6+ Save, 6 Bravery, 5 Wounds
One melee attack his staff: Range 2”, 1 Attack, Hitting on a 4+, Wounding on a 3+, with -1 Rend, for D3 Damage. At the start of your movement phase add 3” to the Move of any Brayheard units wholly within 12”. He can cast / unbind 1 spell with his unique spell called Devolve: Casting Value 7”, targets enemy unit within 18” not within 3” of friendly units, your opponent must move that unit 2D6 towards the nearest enemy unit.
Ghorgon: Move (Damage Table 8” down to 3”), 5+ Save, 7 Bravery, 14 Wounds.
Two melee attacks the first is blades: Range 2”, Attacks (Damage Table 5 down to 1), Hitting and Wounding on a 3+, with -1 Rend, for 3 Damage. His other is a Maw attack: Range 1”, Attacks 1, Hitting on a 4+, Wounding (Damage Table 2+ up to 4+), with -1 Rend, for D6 damage. When ever this model rolls an unmodified wound roll of a 6 that attack deals D3 mortal wounds in addition to its normal damage. After this model has made all its attacks pick an enemy model within 1” and roll a dice, if it is equal to or greater than the models wound characteristic that model is slain.
Ungos: Move 6”, 6+ Save, 4 Bravery, 1 Wound.
Two different melee weapons you can choose from the first is a blade: Range 1” 1 Attacks, Hitting and Wounding on a 4+, for 1 Damage. Or you can choose a spear: Range 2” 1 Attack, Hitting on a 5+, Wounding on a 4+, for 1 Damage. If this unit has 20 or more models it can re roll hit rolls of 1, or if it has 30 or more it can re roll 1’s and 2’s. Add 1 to save rolls in melee combat. The leader adds 1 to his hit rolls, the brayhorn makes It so this unit can run and shoot, and the banner add 1” when the unit runs or piles in.
Beastigors: Move 6”, 4+ Save, 6 Bravery, 1 Wound.
They have one melee weapon the Despolier Axe: Range 1”, 2 Attacks (3 on a charge), Hitting on a 4+, Wounding on a 3+, with -1 Rend, for 1 Damage. Add 1 to hit rolls if this unit is attacking an enemy unit with 10 or models, in addition if it is an Order unit you can re roll hit rolls of 1. The leader adds 1 to his attack characteristic, the brayhorn lets them run and charge in the same turn, and the banner adds 1” to runs and the pile in.
This is 480 points exactly and gives you one of your 2 battelines you need as well as a leader to let your Beastigors become a battleline. To get that second 520 you need, we are going to pick up another start collecting box that we are going to build the exact same way.
Your total army will look like the following:
- Great Bray Shaman: 100 points (Leader 1 of 4) General
- Great Bray Shaman: 100 points (Leader 2 of 4)
- Ghorgon: 200 points (Behemoth 1 of 2)
- Ghorgon: 200 points (Behemoth 2 of 2)
- 20 Ungors: 160 points (Battleline 1 of 2 Required)
- 20 Bestigors: 240 points (Battleline 2 of 2 Required)
This is a cheap army consisting of 2 starter sets (coming in at 170 dollars new), but to make it work you must get the heardstone as well. Speaking of the Heardstone and the special rules let’s look at those before heading into tactics. They of course have their own unique spells, artifacts, and command abilities.
Special Rules:
- Heardstone: Set this up wholly within your territory before setting up units, more than 12” away from enemy units and 1” away from other territory. Subtract 1 from save rolls that target units within 6” of this terrain feature, at the start of each battleround after the 1st add 6” to this ability. It does not affect Beasts of Chaos. Beasts of Chaos Units wholly within 6” of this terrain feature do not take battleshock tests, at the start of each battleround after the 1st add 6” to this ability. In your hero phase you receive 1 Primordial Call point and can choose to get an additional D3 by having a Hero within 3” of the Heardstone deal D3 Mortal Wounds to a Beasts of Chaos unit within 3” of him and the Heardstone. These points can be then used to summon in additional units at the end of your movement phase, with 3 points getting you something like a unit of 10 Ungors all the way to 10 points getting you a Chimera.
- Brayheard Ambush: Instead of setting up a Brayheard unit you can put it in ambush, this can be done 1 for 1 for every Beasts of Chaos unit you put on the field. At the end of your first movement phase you must place the ambushed units on the battlefield within 6” of the table edge more then 9” from enemy units.
- Creatures of the Storm: Thunderscorn units more then 3” from enemy units in your hero phase can move a D6” towards any enemy units. They cannot be closer than 3” at the end of the movement.
- Bloodgorge: At the end of combat any attacks made by Warherd units that destroyed enemy units heals D3 wounds.
GreatFrays: You can choose to be a part of one of the three different Greatfrays.
- Allheard: Subtract 1 from battleshock rolls if your units fought in the combat phase the same turn. Special Command Ability: Used in hero phase, your general creates 1 Primordial Call point. Specal Command Trait: All friendly units can re roll charge rolls if they are wholly within 18” of your general and your general is within 3” of an enemy unit. Unique Artifact Blade of Desecrator.
- Darkwalkers: Gives Warherd and Thunderscorn units the Brayherd keyword, you can also bring half your ambush force in on turn 2 instead of everything turn 1. Special Command Ability: Used end of movement phase, pick friendly unit more then 9” from enemy units and whollt within 18” and you remove them from the board. At the end of you next movement phase set them up anywhere more then 9” from enemy units. Special Command Trait: Add 1 to run rolls for friendly units within 12” of your general. Must take the Desolate Shard artifact.
- Gravespawn: If a friendly hero is killed on a 2+ you a set up a free chaos spawn within 6” of the slain hero. Special Command Ability: Used at start of combat phase, pick friendly unit wholly within 12” of a chaos spawn. Add 1 to the melee weapons attack profile until end of that phase. Special Command Trait: The general can unbind 1 additional spell. Must take the Mutating Gnarlblade as an Artifact of Power.
Loadouts:
For this I want to take the Darkwalkers as a Greatfray so that my Ghorgons are able to set up in ambush. Then give the Great Bray Shaman that is not going to be the one hanging out at the Hearstone the Desolate Shard as they will be more in the thick of things. I am going to give the Shaman hanging out at the Heardstone the Vicious Stranglethrons spell and the one moving forward the Viletide. Finally I would give the Ungors spears instead of melee weapons as you will get more attacks in with the 2” in range for a big unit.
Tactics:
For this army, you are going to set up the Heardstone and your Ungors around it so they are always within 3”. Then you are going to set up one of your Great Bray Shamans within 3” of both of those as well, and you are going to cut the Ungors every turn for an additional D3 Primordial Call Points. You are going to set up the Ghorgons and the Bestigors in ambush so that you can hopefully get a turn one charge with them.
Ghorgons are insane at putting out damage so try and keep them in the thick of things and not let them get shot off the board with magic and missile weapons. Be sure to use the swallow whole ability on single characters like banners, musicians, and champions to decrease the strength of larger blocks of units. The Bestigors can hold their own or take control of important objectives with their 20-man unit.
There you have it, if you want to get crazy you can take an endless spell with your remaining 40 points or you can instead equip your ungors as raiders so that they have missile weapons. If you do that though they are no longer battleline and you will need to split your unit of Bestigors into two 10 model units.
Not bad for a 1000-point army, with around 200 bucks you get half your army and a sweet scenery piece. Next time we are going to take this army and bring it up to 2000 points.
