Finally, new Chaos 40k rules for the Death Guard are here from War of the Spider and it is ALOT of to read. Check out the latest roundup of previews and rumors.
Well, it looks like the Death Guard have gotten the new 40k rules were looking for, as a ton have been spotted over on Reddit. On top of official previews, more rules have been leaked (which are still rumored) on Reddit by u/updooterj on r/Deathguard40k. Buckle up because they’re getting a ton of new rules.
Take the bulleted points as RUMORS. Some of the things that emerged on the web had varying names from the official previews.
New 40k Chaos Rules For Death Guard Finally REVEALED!
Death Guard 40k Stratagem Rules:
- Plaguechosen (1CP): Before the game starts and after you’ve selected a Warlord, you can give another character a different Warlord Trait.
- Soul harvest (1CP): Use this Stratagem in the fight phase if a Death Guard Daemon Prince gets chosen to fight with its axe or sword. Add 3 to the Attack characteristics until the end of the phase. Only infantry units can be the target of its attacks. –Still very good against Primaris blobs.
- Emissary of Nurgle (1CP): Use this Stratagem before the game starts. Choose a Lord of Contagion unit in your army. until the end of the battle it gets the ability Emissary of Nurgle: Reroll Hits of 1 for attacks of friendly DG units within 6″ of this model.
- Disgusttorrent (1CP): Use this Stratagem in the Shooting Phase if a Foul Blightspawn model gets chosen. Roll 2d6 (we think they mean 3D6 as it already rolls 2D6) to determine shots for the flamer as well as it’s Strength. Discard one.
- Infecting Rounds: Use this Stratagem in the Shooting Phase when a Plague Marine unit gets chosen to shoot. Until the end of the phase the bolt weapons become Plague Weapons and against infantry, an unmodified wound roll of 6 gets -4AP.
- Endless Volley (1/2CP): Use this Stratagem in the Shooting Phase when a DG Infantry unit shoots. Until the end of phase bolter and the bolter profile of combiweapons get rapid-fire 2. Combibolter gets rapid-fire 3. Units with 6 or more models pay 2CP.
- ??? (2/3 CP): Use this Stratagem in the Shooting Phase or Fight Phase when a Plague Marine unit gets chosen as a target for an attack. If the unit is 10 or fewer models 2CP otherwise 3CP. Add 1 to Disgustingly Resilient Rolls. -Great for a Terminator blob that’ll be getting a lot of hate.
- ??? (1CP): Before the start of Battle. Choose a Plague Surgeon model in your army. Until the end of the battle it gets the following ability Hypertoxic Tincture: Reroll wound rolls of 1 or 2 for attacks with plague weapons of friendly Death Guard models within 6″.
- Warptoll (1CP): At the beginning of the Morale Phase. Choose a Noxious Blightbringer. Add 1 to dice rolls for morale tests of enemy units within 7″ and double the amount of fleeing models if it fails.
- Creeping Plague (1CP): Use this Stratagem in the Fight phase when a DG unit in your army gets chosen to fight. Until the end of the phase add 1 to Damage characteristics for attacks and unmodified wound rolls of 6 get -4 AP.
- Grime Eruption (1CP): If a Death Guard Terminator model gets destroyed, before it gets removed roll a d6 for every unit within 7″ without the Nurgle Keyword. on a 4+ deal 1 mortal wound.
- Toxic Burst: Use this Stratagem in any phase except Morale Phase. If a DG model of your army gets destroyed. Chose an enemy unit within 3″ of the model and subtract 1 of their hitrolls when they attack. –Very strong if it really just relies on one model being destroyed.
- Mutated Stem (1CP): Use this Stratagem in the Fight Phase if Poxwalkers fight. Until the end of the phase unmodified wound rolls of 6 against infantry units deal mortal wounds. Unmodified hit rolls of 1 deal 1 mortal wound to the attacking unit (Poxwalkers).
- Miasmatic Sickness (2CP): Use this Stratagem at the beginning of the Fight phase. Choose an enemy unit within 1″ of a friendly Plague Marine unit. Subtract 1 of its Toughness characteristic as long as it isnt in Mortarions Toxic Presence ability.-Again, super strong. Could be the difference of wounding on 3+ and a 2+.
- Life Eater (1CP): Use this Stratagem in the Fight Phase if a DG unit gets chosen to fight. Until the end of the phase, you automatically wound if you roll an unmodified 6 to hit with plague weapons.
- Accelerated Entropy (1CP): Pre Battle. Choose a Plagueburst Crawler. Until the end of battle its entropy cannons and all entropy cannons of other Plagueburst Crawlers within 7″ get Plague Weapon: Damage rolls of 1 or 2 counts as 3.
- Firefever (1CP): Use this Stratagem in the Shooting Phase after youve selected the shots of a Helbrute with 2 ranged weapons. Until the end of the phase, you can reroll all hit rolls if you shoot all shots at one target for this model.
- Contaminated Monstrosity (1/2CP): Before Battle. Choose a DG Unit (no Chaos Cultists or titanic units) with 12 Wounds or less or for 2CP 13 Wounds or more. Until the end of the battle, the unit gets disgustingly resilient.
- Parasitic Fumes (1CP): Use this Stratagem at the End of the Movement Phase. Choose a Myphitic Blight Hauler unit. Until end of the turn when a friendly model within 7″ attacks, add 1 to the AP characteristic of its weapons.
Of what’s been previewed, 1CP to get a bonus attack on every model in a unit of Plague Marines is decent. Especially if you’re going against a horde unit with a cruddy armor save.
This Strat is insanely powerful. The fact that this is just Death Guard UNIT means it’s not locked to the limited selection of plague weapons that Infantry carry. Although, one of the best targets for this Strat has to be the Foul Blightspawn turning his thunder hammer flamer from 9″ to 15″ range.
Death Guard 40k Relics Rules:
- The Feverstone: Lord of Contagion only. Reduce Strength characteristic of enemy models by 1 as long as they are within 3″ of a model within your army carrying this relic
- Allwilter: Model with plaguesword only. Replaces the plaguesword- melee +1S -3AP 2D plague weapon, enemies wounded by this weapon don’t get saves.
- The Epidemicystic Blade: Hellforged Sword only. Replaces the Fellforged sword- melee +1S -2AP 3D plague weapon, exploding 6s cause another hit. -Yikes, that thing is gross.
- The Foul Amulet: Psyker only. Models with this relic know an additional psychic power. Once per psychic phase, after this model manifested a psychic power heal it for D3 Wounds. –This is great for a Daemon Prince you expect to also be getting into melee with.
- Wormspitter: bolt pistol only. Replaces bolt pistol- 14″ pistol 1 5S -2AP 1D Plague weapon, If you hit a model with this weapon successfully it gets corroded until end of turn… when a friendly Death Guard model attacks a corroded unit it’s weapon gain the plague weapon ability. -Pretty strong. Definitely a support relic for your other units you want to give the plague weapon ability. However, there might be some better options.
This one was previewed for the Noxious Blightbringer. He’ll be able to put off a 5++ invuln aura within 7″. This will essentially make him marginally better than a Big Mek with a KFF in-game. Plus, when you think about Death Guard’s most basic units being T5 with a 5+++ FNP, adding an invuln on top of that can make them exceptionally tanky. CHONK!
Death Guard 40k Plague Company (Subfactions) Rules:
One big change to the Death Guard is that they are getting these subfactions called Plague Companies.
The even better news is that each of the seven Plague Companies of the Death Guard has been blessed with rules that reflect the way that they wage war. Each Company gets a unique Warlord Trait, a Putrescent Relic and their own Stratagems. Follow Typhus in the 1st Plague Company, the Harbingers, and spread the blessings of the zombie plague.
The Harbingers Plague Company
- Warlord Trait: Zombie Plague: If your warlord destroys an enemy infantry model in melee, add a model to a friendly Harbingers Poxwalker unit within 7″. You have to pay reserve points for models above its starting unit size. –The fact that you have to pay points really sucks.
The Harbingers (aka Typhus’ Plague Company) will also give you access to deepstriking up to two squads of Poxwalkers in-game. If you plan on bringing a couple of cheap squads to grab objectives, this is a neat way to use the “out of sight, out of mind” strat against your opponent. On the other hand, having a massive blob of Poxwalkers jump in front of a unit you’re trying to protect might also slow down your opponent enough for you to pull out a win. It definitely adds mobility which Death Guard have somewhat lacked.
- Life Transcending Death: Use this Stratagem in the Fight Phase when the last model of a Harbingers Unit gets destroyed. The enemy unit that destroyed the model suffers D3 mortal wounds. -Meh if you’ll be using big blobs of Poxwalkers which this encourages. Kind of a nonbo.
The Relentless Plague Company (Vehicle Synergistic)
- Warlord Trait: Ferric Blight: If an attack of a friendly <Relentless> unit targets a Vehicle within 7″ of this warlord add 1 to this weapons AP characteristic. -Very good in any list. Vehicles ae about to be hot in 9th and additional AP modifiers are crazy powerful.
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Relic: Leech Spore Casket: If a model gets destroyed in melee by a model with this relic, heal a friendly <Relentless> vehicle within 18″ by 1. Every model in your army can only recover 3 Wounds per round.
- Unholy Essence (1CP): Use this Stratagem at the beginning of the Shooting phase. Choose up to 3 <Relentless> vehicles in your army. until end of the phase, they get Inexorable Advance.
- Iron Miasma (1CP): Use this Stratagem in the enemy Fight Phase if a friendly <Relentless> unit gets targetted by an enemy infantry unit. Subtract 2 from Attack rolls. This could single-handedly make one of your characters walk out of certain death completely unscathed.
Mortarion’s Anvil Plague Company
- Warlord Trait: Gloaming Bloat: Wound rolls of 1-3 always fail against your warlord.
- Relic: The Tally: Tallyman only. Melee attack of <Mortarion’s Anvil> units within 7″ get exploding 6s to hit.
- Personified Futility (2/3CP): Use this Stratagem in the enemy Shooting Phase when <mortarion’s Anvil> Terminators unit gets targetted. Reduce Damage characteristics of weapons by 1 (minimum damage 1). If the unit consists of 5 or fewer models the stratagem costs 2 otherwise 3 CP.
- ??? counterattack (1CP): Use this Stratagem in the Fight Phase. Choose a Mortarion’s Anvil infantry unit. Until the end of the phase it can perform heroic interventions as if it was a character model.
The Miserable Plague Company (Previewed officially as “Wretched”)
The Wretched (Miserable) have had their Warlord Trait revealed, allowing you to heal one wound per model you kill (to a max of three). You can see that without that 3-wound cap, this Warlord Trait would be bonkers. However, it’s still solid. Especially on something like a tricked-out Daemon Prince.
- Relic: Daemon’s Favour: Malignant Plaguecaster Only. Substitute the Pestilent Fallout ability with Stream of Decay: After manifesting a psychic power the closest enemy unit within 7″ suffers 1 mortal wound if the psychic test was <7. If it was >=7 chose an enemy unit within 7″ it suffers D3 mortal wounds. -Basically a way to squeeze out a few more mortal wounds throughout the game (free smite damage).
- The Decayed Veil (1CP): Use this Stratagem at the end of the Movement Phase. Chose a <Miserable> character model that didnt perform a daemonic ritual this turn. It can perform a Daemonic Ritual as if it didnt move. It doesn’t matter if it arrived this turn as deepstrike. Furthermore only roll 1D6 for summoning and add 7 on the result. -This is an auto-use if you’re planning on summoning.
- Sevenfold Blessing (1CP): Pre Battle. Choose a <Miserable> psyker model. Until the end of the battle you can reroll one of the dice for a psychic test of this model. You can use this stratagem only once per battle. -This has strong synergy with the Daemon’s Favour relic if you’ll be using the Malignant Plaguecaster.
The Poxmongers Plague Company
- Warlord Trait: Sanguous Flux: If friendly Poxmonger models are within 7″ of this warlord whilst making a melee attack against infantry models add 1 to its AP characteristics.
Relic: Iron Coagulation Oven: Poxmonger Daemon Engines have a save characteristic of 4++ as long as they are within 7″ of a model with this relic.
Did you Get your Blight-haulers charged? Just pop a CP to fall back and unleash some tank-hunting hate right back at the enemy.
- Subsiding Dysentery (1CP): Use this Stratagem in the Fight Phase. If a friendly Poxmonger Daemon Engine unit destroys an enemy model heal a model of the unit by D3 Wounds.
The Ferrymen Plague Company
- Warlord Trait: the Drowning: Add 2 to morale tests for enemy units within 12″ of this warlord.
- Relic: Ferryman’s Scythe: Replaces a Plaguereaper melee +4S -3AP 3D Plague Weapon: unmodified wound rolls of 6 add 1 mortal wound.
- Pestwhispering (1CP): Use this Stratagem in the Shooting phase if a <Ferrymen> Blightlord Terminator unit gets chosen to shoot. Add 1 to all hit rolls of the unit until the end of the phase
- On Humming Wings (2CP): Use this Stratagem at the beginning of the Movement Phase. Choose a Ferrymen unit. Until the end of turn aura abilities of this unit add 7″ to their reach. (Nurgles Blessing still only hits enemy units within 1″ of a friendly unit). –Wow this is good but at 2CP, it’ll probably only appear in niche circumstances.
Mortarion’s Chosen Sons
- Warlord Trait: Crawling Pustulance: Melee attacks against your Warlord get 1 subtracted from their hit roll. If an enemy unit (only non-flying) within 1″ of your Warlord retreats roll a d6. On a 2+ it suffers D3 mortal wounds. -all-around fantastic melee beater option.
- Relic: Vomitryx: Plague incubatum weapon. It substitutes it with 9″ Assault 7 7S -3AP 2D Plague weapon. Auto hits.
- Alembic Narthecium (1CP): Pre Battle. Choose a Mortarion’s Chose Sons Plague Surgeon model. Substitute its corrupted Narthecium ability with Alembic Narthecium: reroll disgustingly resilient rolls of 1 or 2 for friendly Mortarion’s Chosen Sons infantry models within 3″ of this model.
- Plaguebrewer (1CP): Use this Stratagem in the Shooting phase if a Mortarion’s Chosen Sons unit gets chosen to shoot. until the end of the phase plaguespewer, Plaguethrower and plaguefists of models in the unit have a damage characteristic of 2D. -Basically just a way for other armies to get over the 2-wound hump we’ve seen Space Marines and now Ad Mech get.
While Death Guard players have had to patiently wait for their support, and while it might be coming in the tail-end of 8th Edition, they are getting a ton of new 40k rules finally.
With all of these new Death Guard, 40k Rules revealed, which Plague Company do you think is the strongest?
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About the Author: Wesley Floyd
Wesley Floyd
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About Wesley Floyd: Wes has been in the Warhammer hobby since 2015 and joined the Spikey Bits writing team in 2018. He is known for his satirist takes on trending topics and imaginative yet amazingly affordable hobby solutions to painting Warhammer miniatures.
Imperial fanboy, tabletop fanatic, and the self-proclaimed King of Sprues. He knows for a fact that Mephiston red is the best-tasting paint and is the commission painting equivalent of a Wendy’s 4 for $4. If you like what he writes and want to contact him or have your tabletop minatures painted (to a mostly okayish standard), message him on Instagram.
