All the new AoS Arena of Shades rules and warscrolls have been spotted for the new characters and units changing- check it out!
We’ve seen some rules previewed for the new units already, but all the warscrolls have been shown off. They never really get too close to the book, but enough to see what’s going on.
A bunch of YouTubers have grabbed the book, so this is a compilation from them. It’s always nice to see the rules and see if you want to pick up your own copy! Let’s get into it!
The new battle box will feature Daughters of Khaine and Nighthaunt, with a couple of new models for the Death side of it and one for DoK. With the release soon, you know it was a matter of time before GW dropped some rules on us.
Anyways, let’s check out the box, then jump into the rules.
Arena of Shades
The next two factions to duke it out in the Age of Sigmar are Nighthaunt and the Daughters of Khaine!
The newest character set to release for Nighthaunt is the Scriptor Mortis! Described by the preview as “not a fighter”, the Scriptor is said to specialize in picking out specific heroes from a distance and “cursing them” throughout the battle.
Nighthaunt is receiving two new units in this upcoming release! Not only are they getting a new character, but a unit capable of shooting as well, the Craventhrone Guard! This new unit is one of the few in the Death faction of Age of Sigmar with any substantial shooting, so their addition is very welcome.
The aesthetic of these new minis ties into the Nighthaunt character Kurdoss Valentian, The Craven King; you can see the iconography on their banner is very similar to his own, as well as having a connection with his name.
Finally, the Daughters of Khaine receive a new character, and she has been described as particularly deadly: the High Gladiatrix. The preview emphasized her gladiator aesthetic, and we have to agree. The character appears to come with multiple weapons and head options, so variety will be possible for those wishing for it!
AoS Arena of Shades Rules & Warscrolls
For stats, she has 4 attacks with her whip at 3+ to Wound and -1 Rend, then she gets two attacks with her Blade. But her real strength comes in with her special rules.
From Warhammer Community
This can be a great way to finish off characters with good Ward saves or pesky special rules to keep them alive. She also buffs those around her with this rule:
She also buffs surrounding Witch Aelves and Sisters of Slaughter, her thirst for blood whipping them into such a furious frenzy that they wound on rolls of 3+, and with a Rend of -1. Wherever the High Gladiatrix goes, her warriors know that the streets will run red.
Wounding on a 3+ with the number of attacks they get is always going to be strong!
They’ve had a few small changes. First, the range of their spears went down to 1″. Next, now they just get to move all the time after shooting, no need for a 4+ rule, so a pretty big buff. However, their shields have been rolled into their profile and they can no longer bounce back wounds.
Nighthuant Rules
The statline here isn’t anything to get excited about, but he’s all about the book!
While this basically takes two turns to even possibly pull off, dealing 2D6 Mortals can kill a lot of heroes. Who knows, maybe if you get lucky and have a couple of these, you’ll actually rack up the damage.
If you try this in turn 2, you have a 1/6 chance for it to work, then even on turn 3 just a 1/3 chance. So while it can be devastating, we’re not sure how often it will be super strong as even in turn 4, you have a 50/50 chance of it working. However, you can do this even if the game is going to end, so it will scale throughout the game quite well.
With movement 8, they are quick, but their damage output isn’t insane and with only a 4+/4+ and a 12″ range, we’re not sure exactly how powerful they will be. Considering they are the only ranged unit they have, might be worth a take.
From Warhammer Community
A ranged unit is a rarity for a Death army– they traditionally prefer to shamble, rattle, and apparate their way into their opponents’ faces rather than attack from a distance – and it opens up many options. Spells are no longer your only way of taking out hard-to-reach Heroes and critical units, while a shooting phase opens up plenty of new options to score Battle Tactics and deny your opponent the aura abilities that make their army tick.
Having ranged attacks at all for the army is pretty nice, and with 2 attacks each and the ability to fire without LoS, they can do some work. However, with only a 4+ to hit, Damage 1, and not big units, it might be hard for them to really change the course of a fight. Still, they say they have other rules as well, so we can’t fully judge quite yet.
These actually grabbed a pretty big buff. The Spell Eater ability can now just get rid of spells quite easily. All they have to do is roll higher than the Casting Value on 2D6. That means all they have to do is beat the actual cast cost, not what your opponent rolled. Meaning in a way, they might even be able to thwart Teclis, as he just auto casts a spell and this isn’t an unbinding.
Points
Check out all the points, but everything other than the new units is the same. At 100 points the Gladiatrix seems like a decent deal and at 150 points the Scriptor Mortis isn’t too bad, as if it can take out one enemy hero, it will make its points back.
At 95 points the Craven Guard feel overpriced, but who knows, maybe they will get decent buffs when the full book comes out.
Here’s the most up-to-date list of new Games Workshop bits from preview models that we should keep an eye out for. Click on the gallery above to see dozens of Rumor Engines with new models still left to be revealed!
All the Newest GW Model & Rules Previews For 2022
What do you think about the new Arena of Shades rules warscrolls? Do you think the Scriptor Mortis will be useful?
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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!
