There are big changes coming to 4th Edition AoS; maybe most notably, Commands and Reactions will let you interact in your opponent’s turn!
GW has promised that 4th Edition will bring many changes to the core rules, battletomes, and modular rules. However, this is a big change to the game, as you’ll be getting command points, making reactions, and issuing commands even when it’s not your turn. The new edition is really set up to spice things up for all Age of Sigmar players out there!
GW Reveals How New Commands & Reactions Work in 4th Edition AoS
Here is the latest on the new Aos 4th Edition command rules from Warhammer Community.
- The new Commands and Reactions rules will allow players to interact in their opponent’s turn.
- Command points are a tightly controlled resource, and each player gets four command points at the start of the battle round to spend over the course of that entire round.
- There are 10 commands to issue, but any command points you haven’t spent by the end of the battle round are gone forever.
- There are also four reaction abilities, which are used once you have declared an ability but before the effect is resolved, bolstering that effect.
- Four of the standard commands are reactions, which means you will have a few options to counter your opponent’s actions.
- There are six new or revamped commands, which are used at the end of their respective phases once the active player has finished all their actions allowing you to respond with a counter-punch and stay on top of a changing battlefield.
- Rally, Redeploy, Covering Fire, Counter-charge, and Magical Intervention are some of the new commands introduced in the 4th Edition Age of Sigmar.
Command points and reactions add a good layer to the game, especially on the double turn, as you’ll have more to do!
As we hinted to previously, command points are a tightly controlled resource. Each player gets four command points at the start of the battle round to spend over the course of that entire round – but there are 10 commands to issue. Any command points you haven’t spent by the end of the battle round are gone forever, so there’s no way of hoarding them.
This is a much different system of getting points than 40k; you start with a lot more points and then have to choose where to use them throughout the battle. However, if you have a smaller army (in terms of deployment) and fewer victory points (the underdog is whoever has fewer VPs at the start of the turn), you can actually score two extra command points per turn! So the generation can get wild.
They do state there are no abilities to generate extra CP, so this is all you’re getting; you can’t take units to generate more. So use them wisely! Lastly, you don’t have to use characters and heroes to issue commands, and you just do it.
Reactions
As we’ve seen, everything in the new edition is an ability, including commands, which all have clear timings showing which phase they’re used in. All of these commands are found in the Command module, so no more hunting around to find them.
Four of the 10 commands are reaction abilities, which are used once you have declared an ability but before the effect is resolved, bolstering that effect.
Four of the standard commands are reactions, meaning you will have a few options to counter your opponent’s actions.
All-out Attack and All-out defence are familiar from previous editions, becoming reactions which occur once an Attack ability has been declared. They have simple effects: making your chosen unit better on the offence or defence.
Both of these are pretty simple but super strong! Getting plus one to hit on all your models is great, and getting better saves is never a bad thing, especially for only 1 CP.
At The Double and Forward To Victory are equally simple, allowing you to get your troops exactly where they need to be in the Movement and Charge phases.
These will help you surge forward, but we expect Forward to Victory to get used a lot, as re-rolling crucial charges is huge.
New 4th Edition AoS Commands
Commands, on the other hand, are more reactive. There are six new or revamped commands, which are used at the end of their respective phases once the active player has finished all their actions – allowing you to respond with a counter-punch and stay on top of a changing battlefield.
Rally now gives you a more flexible way of healing or returning models to your units. The scaling has improved: you can no longer get lucky on the dice and bring back two full Stormdrake Guards. This is also a good example of how some of the functionality that used to be part of Heroic Actions, in this case Heroic Recovery, has been incorporated into other abilities to avoid two separate systems.
Rally is still here, but it is a little more flexible and can, if you get lucky, bring back a lot of wounds.
Redeploy is also back, but you’ll now have to wait until your opponent has moved all of their units before using it.
Running away in the enemy movement phase is super cool. It allows you to screen out and then get away before your enemy can even charge.
Covering Fire enables shooting units to exert pressure, replacing an old favourite, Unleash Hell. The new hotness in the charge phase is the powerful Counter-charge ability, which costs two command points and allows for brutal interceptions – cavalry units in particular revel in this ability, but any units that trigger abilities on the charge can become exceptionally powerful when used correctly.
Cover Fire is quite strong, as it can let you get in a volley of shooting and only at -1 to hit. However, Counter-Charge is just awesome! Getting to charge in your opponent’s turn is no joke!
Magical Intervention permits the reacting player to cast a spell or chant a prayer in their opponent’s turn, allowing for powerful counterplay (or counterpray). Note that prayers have seen substantial changes to differentiate them from magic in this edition – we’ll beseech the powers that be and talk about these divine changes in due course.
With all these reactions, you’ll have the option to really disrupt your opponent’s turn and cast spells!
Finally, Power Through is activated at the end of any turn, letting rampaging monsters and barreling chariots smash through infantry or scatter cavalry, dealing damage and moving through the unit opening up new positioning opportunities.
If you do this during your opponent’s turn, you can vault your unit past and into their backline. D3 mortal wounds are nice but not the strongest.
Stormstrike Chariot
You can expect other abilities in the game to alter the way that certain commands work, or trigger off them in interesting ways. For example, Stormstrike Chariots can double down on this command with their Celestial Blaze passive, triggering an additional D3 mortal damage and granting their gryph-chargers an extra D6” to their movement.
Using Power Through on a chariot will be no joke! You’ll deal 2D3 Mortals and move up to 16″. However, with ten health, you’ll have to go against smaller units.
Overall, the new Commands and Reactions rules module in the upcoming 4th Edition of Warhammer Age of Sigmar promises to add a dynamic layer to the game. With command points and reactions, players will have more opportunities to interact and make strategic decisions in their opponent’s turn.
It will be interesting to see how these changes will affect the game and how players will adapt to them.
GW Confirms New AoS Edition, Free Rules & Release Date
What do you think about the rules changes to 4th Edition Age of Sigmar Commands and Reactions?
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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!
