Here’s one of the most important parts of 4th Edition AoS: how Warscrolls are constructed and changing, as revealed by Games Workshop!
GW has promised that 4th Edition will bring many changes to the core rules, battletomes, and modular rules. However, you’ll still need rules for all your units! The new edition will spice things up with every unit/model on a single page, new icons, changed keywords, and more!
GW Reveals How 4th Edition AoS Warscrolls are Changing!
Here is the latest on the 4th Edition battlescrolls from Warhammer Community.
- Every unit/model in the game now has a single page warscroll, with new icons, changed keywords, and more.
- The game now features a modularity of the rules. Everything a unit can do is now an ability, and these are clearly labeled, color-coded, and symbol-coded to demonstrate exactly which phase of the game each ability is used in.
- Liberators hit hard for basic troops, especially given their Crit (Mortal) ability – one of seven universal weapon abilities.
- The biggest change is range; everyone can fight within 3″.
- Every Warscroll ability will have a color that corresponds to a certain part of the turn.
- Nagash’s warscroll (like everyone else’s) fits on one side of a card, and he has several decisive abilities, which affect the game in three separate phases.
The idea is to make the game easier to read, and with generic keywords added and more modularity to Warscrolls, let’s hope it really is easier.
New Liberators Warscroll Changes
Despite this change to unit abilities, the information contained on a new warscroll is actually mostly very similar to previous iterations. The unit title, for instance, remains entirely the same, while the characteristic emblem still contains four stats:
- Move, which is unchanged
- Health, which is the current Wounds stat changed for sense purposes**
- Save, which is unchanged
- Control, which replaces Bravery and functions as a measure of how able a unit is to hold Objectives. A unit’s Control Score is the sum of this characteristic from all models in the unit contesting an objective
Now, like in 40k, everything a unit can do above the normal baseline are called abilities. A big change is that wounds are changing to health; they say this is because people might get confused by wounds. The keywords are still listed at the bottom and all weapon options are included for other abilities.
Weapons have seen a few subtle changes, but they still function in more or less the same way. In melee, five key attributes function as before: Attacks, Hit, Wound, Rend, and Damage – though they’ve all been carefully rebalanced for the new edition to better reflect each unit’s miniatures, lore, and battlefield role.
Liberators hit hard for basic troops, especially given their Crit (Mortal) ability – one of seven universal weapon abilities. It has a simple effect: an unmodified 6 to hit counts as a Critical Hit, and this ability turns Critical Hits into Mortal Damage.
However, while missile weapons still have a Range – albeit generally reduced – every model can now fight within a 3” combat range in melee. It’s a simple change, but one that will streamline pile-ins and combat resolution.
It only makes sense that they balanced the weapon profiles, so nothing is too out of place. However, the biggest change is range. You no longer have to worry about what weapons have what range; everyone can fight within 3″.
Compared to the Old Warscroll
(Old Warscroll)
Compared to the old Warscroll, the new liberator weapons have a +1 to wound, fewer options overall, and a much different ability. However, you no longer have to worry about taking shields as they just come stock with a 3+ save.
Turn Phases
Finally, there are the redesigned abilities. Our Liberators have a fairly easy one – Stalwart Defenders, which helps them control your closest Objectives. It’s purple, which marks it out as an End of Turn ability, while the circle symbol makes it a Control ability. Passive ensures that it happens automatically. Each phase and ability type has its own colour and symbol, making it incredibly easy to see when you use them.
Now, every Warscroll ability will have a color that corresponds to a certain part of the turn. While they don’t give too much here, it is good to see how the turns will play out!
Nagash Warscroll
Even though it belongs to the literal god of Death, Nagash’s warscroll (like everyone else’s) fits on one side of a card. He has several decisive abilities, which affect the game in three separate phases. The Staff of Power is a passive buff which greatly improves his spellcasting power during the Hero Phase, while Supreme Lord of the Undead is an incredibly powerful once-per-battle ability that can turn the tide of a conflict.
His signature spell is Invocation of Nagash, a flexible conjuration that can restore models, shield them from incoming damage, or deal damage to the opposition. Finally, Hand of Dust may be used in your turn or your opponent’s. This is an example of a new-look rampage – the vast majority of monsters now have a unique ability called out on their warscroll. You’ll notice that various universal special rules, such as WIZARD, FLY, and WARD appear in the keyword bar, and have been standardised in the core rules.
Even a giant model like Nagash fits on a single page now. He still has a Ward save and is a wizard, but all those keywords appear on the bottom now. Then, it even tells you when you can use certain abilities and special spells (and it’s color-coded.)
Let’s compare the new rules to the current Warscroll for Nagash:
While he’s losing some abilities, overall, he still seems pretty powerful. It’s hard to really tell without points and seeing everything else overall in the edition. However, it’s pretty interesting to see how big the changes are.
The 4th Edition AoS Warscrolls are undergoing significant changes. All unit actions are being transformed into abilities that are color-coded and symbol-coded to indicate the phase of the game when they can be used. The Liberators Warscroll, with changes to wounds, weapon options, and range, is an excellent example of how the new Warscrolls will look.
Additionally, the Nagash Warscroll demonstrates the new layout and how the abilities are spread across the different phases.
GW Confirms New AoS Edition, Free Rules & Release Date
What do you think about the rules changes to 4th Edition Age of Sigmar Warscrolls?
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About the Author: Travis Pasch
Travis Pasch
Job Title: Head Writer & Editor
Socials: @paschbass
About Travis Pasch: Travis has been a Warhammer 40k hobbyist since the 1990s, playing the game since Third Edition. Through extensive traveling, he’s seen a lot of the miniatures hobby from across the world, giving him a unique perspective on the latest gaming topics and trends.
Travis’s brother even owns a commission painting studio, where he’s picked up a lot of good advice and techniques for painting Warhammer and tabletop miniatures over the years, as well. Travis joined the Spikey Bits team in 2019 and has been the lead writer since 2020.
Currently, he’s working on converting all his 40k Adeptus Mechanicus models and becoming a true tech enjoyer, complete with both sad and happy robot noises!
