Archaon's Horde

ARCHAON’S HORDE Storm of Chaos
  Archaon rides at the head of an army of Chaos so huge that it fills the horizon as it marches relentlessly upon the Empire. As disciplined as they are warlike, Archaon’s warriors have a thirst for blood that can only be quenched by the wholesale slaughter of those that stand before them. Those brave souls that take arms against Archaon know full well that at best they will slow his advance, and at worst suffer an eternity of torment.
There are two ways to play Archaon’s Horde in your games of Warhammer. The first is to simply use it as any other list, choosing from the entries below. The second is play the special scenario ‘Halting the Tide’ as detailed below.



HALTING THE TIDE When led by the Lord of the End Times or his lieutenant, Archaon’s Horde is very different to a normal Warhammer army. Such is the number of the warriors in Archaon’s army that defenders find themselves vastly outmatched. Use the following rules when attempting to halt the tide. Note that these rules can easily be adapted to accommodate any other race, so if you fancy expanding your force, fielding all your troops at once, or simply taking on a challenge, just change the race that is attacking.

• In this special variant of the Pitched Battle scenario, the Horde always has twice the amount of points as the opponent’s army. So in a 2,000 point game, the player using Archaon’s Horde will have 4,000 points to spend, subject to the usual restrictions.


• When playing Halting the Tide, Archaon’s Horde must be led either by Archaon himself or Crom the Conqueror.


• Those defending against the Horde are prepared to die and so are Immune to Panic.


• Forewarned of such a massive army’s approach, the player defending against the Horde always goes first.


• The game lasts for seven turns.


• Archaon and Crom each count as a single Lord choice when fielded in a Halting the Tide scenario. However, when using Archaon’s Horde in this manner you may only take the number of Hero and Lord choices available to your opponent.


• Marauders and Marauder Horsemen automatically gain the Mark of Chaos Undivided.

Victory Conditions: Calculate Victory Points for destroyed attacking units and attacking units reduced to below half strength, but nothing else.

POINTS ACCUMULATED	FINAL RESULT
If the result is one and a half times the starting points value of the defenders or more.	The defenders win a glorious victory, tearing the heart out of the Chaos advance.
If it is equal to or more than the starting points value of the defenders.	The defenders win, even if they were wiped out.
If it is between the starting points value of the defenders and half of their starting points value.	The game results in a draw.
If it is less than half the starting points value of the defenders.	The attacking forces score a solid victory.

ARCHAON’S HORDE ARMY SELECTION Units of Chaos Warriors and Chaos Knights upgraded to Chosen become Special choices as listed below – this means that multiple units of Chosen may be taken.

• Archaon’s Horde armies may not include Daemons or Beasts of Chaos.


• Any army chosen from this list may only have one type of Mark other than the Mark of Chaos Undivided. This is because the worshippers of each Chaos Power have gathered together into separate armies dedicated to each of the Ruinous Powers.


• A unit of Marauders of Chaos numbering 25 or more models may upgrade models to Standard Bearer, Musician and Champion free of charge.


• A unit of Warriors of Chaos numbering 16 or more models may upgrade models to Standard Bearer, Musician and Champion free of charge.

The following troops count as characters, Core, Special or Rare units in the Archaon’s Horde army list:

LORDS	Lord of Chaos Exalted Sorcerer of Chaos
HEROES	Exalted Champion of Chaos Aspiring Champion of Chaos Sorcerer of Chaos
CORE UNITS	Warriors of Chaos Marauders of Chaos Marauder Horsemen Knights of Chaos Warhounds of Chaos*
SPECIAL UNITS	Flayerkin (new unit) Chosen Warriors of Chaos Chosen Knights of Chaos Chariots of Chaos
RARE UNITS	Hellcannon (new unit, see p.16-17) Spawn of Chaos Dogs of War

* - These units do not count towards the minimum number of Core units you must include in your army.
HELLCANNON OF CHAOS Part daemon, part war machine, the Hellcannon of Chaos is a massive construct of iron and brass that growls and shakes with diabolic sentience. In battle these arcane engines heave great blasts of daemonic energy that arc through the air toward their targets, incandescent explosions liquefying anything they touch and sending the survivors screaming in all directions.
These hell-forged beasts are guided rather than crewed by a team of corrupt and twisted Chaos Dwarfs, in whose volcanic furnaces the Hellcannons are created. It is their duty to restrain the Hellcannon in the fires of battle, for the daemons bound within each war-construct constantly hunger for a banquet of warm flesh and hot blood laced with the taste of fear. The Chaos Dwarfs load their charge by brutally shovelling the bodies of their foes into the dire-furnace at the Hellcannon’s rear. Flesh runs like wax, dribbling onto the earth at the crew’s feet in thick, hissing gobbets as the daemonic fires strip away the captives’ souls. These are perverted into wailing bolts of pure change, and vomited toward the Hellcannon’s prey in powerful spasms of hate and malice.
A Hellcannon, towering above the mortal followers of Chaos that it accompanies into battle, is virtually indestructible. Such is the strength and bloodlust of the daemonic machine that it must be chained to the ground to prevent it from rampaging toward the enemy lines, intent on gorging itself on hot flesh. Even these precautions prove inadequate should the enemy draw too close; it is whispered that there is nothing that can truly stay a Hellcannon’s insatiable lust for destruction. A single Hellcannon is quite capable of blasting apart the walls of even the most stalwart fortress.
With entire batteries of these snarling, spitting daemonmachines at his command, it is only a matter of time before the Lord of the End Times conquers all who stand before him.
0-1 Hellcannon of Chaos may be taken in a Mortal Chaos army counting as two Rare choices.

	M	WS	BS	S	T	W	I	A	Ld
Hellcannon	-	4	4	6	7	6	1	4	9
Chaos Dwarf	3	4	3	3	4	1	2	1	9

Points: 270
Unit Strength: 6 +1 per Chaos Dwarf.
Options: May choose Undivided Daemonic Gifts from page 48 of Hordes of Chaos only, to a total of 50 points.
Armour Save: 3+. The three Chaos Dwarf crew have heavy armour.
Mixed Unit: The Hellcannon is treated as a war machine with the exceptions below. The three crew form a unit with the Hellcannon. The unit has a 360^o arc of sight. The Chaos Dwarfs act as war machine crew in combat, but will line up on either side of the Hellcannon instead of in front of it.
When moving normally, the unit uses the Chaos Dwarfs’ Movement rate. When rampaging, the whole unit moves 2D6" (see below).
SPECIAL RULES Unbreakable: See page 112 of the Warhammer rulebook. Large Target: The Hellcannon counts as a large target. Daemonic Aura & Daemonic Attacks: See page 29 of Hordes of Chaos.
Terror: The Hellcannon emits an aura of palpable horror. It causes terror.
Rampage: The Hellcannon may not declare charges. However, in the Compulsory Moves phase, roll 2D6. If the number rolled is equal to or greater than the distance between the Hellcannon and the nearest enemy unit, the Hellcannon will immediately charge into combat with that unit if possible.
The charged unit may react as usual – treat the number rolled on the 2D6 as both the Hellcannon’s maximum and failed charge range. When the Hellcannon is rampaging or in combat it may only Spew Ichor in the Shooting phase. It may never pursue.
Loss of Crew: If all crew are lost, the test for rampaging must be checked against all units, not just the enemy’s – it may therefore charge friendly units. Furthermore, it will move the 2D6 result rolled towards the nearest unit even if it does not make contact with it.
Firing the Hellcannon: The Hellcannon has a range of 60", and fires in exactly the same manner as a stone thrower, with the exceptions below. Because of its malign intellect, the first roll of the Scatter dice may be re-rolled each turn. Once the point of impact has been resolved any unit that is not Immune to Psychology and would be hit by the Hellcannon may elect to flee directly away from the Hellcannon before the hit is resolved.
Place the small template with the central hole over the point of impact. Anything under the template takes a S10 hit, suffering D6 wounds (D6+2 against buildings and castle sections). Determine partial hits by rolling a dice, on a 4+ the model is affected. Then place the large template with the central hole over the same point. Any unit (friend or foe) with a model even partially under the large template must immediately pass a Leadership test or flee directly away from the Hellcannon. This does not affect troops which are Immune to Psychology.
Spew Ichor: Instead of firing normally, the Hellcannon can opt to spew out a great gout of body parts and daemonic ichor. Place the Flame template with the narrow end touching the Hellcannon’s maw and the large end aimed at the target. Determine which models are hit as per a breath weapon, these take a Strength 6 hit. Any unit with a model even partially under the template must take a Terror test.
Unpredictable: On any roll of a Misfire, the Hellcannon does not fire as intended. Roll on the following chart:

D6	Result
1	The Hellcannon breaks its bonds, kills its crew and attempts to charge the nearest unit (see Rampage).
2	The Hellcannon fights against its chains, shaking itself apart. It takes D6 wounds with no Armour or Ward saves allowed.
3	The Daemon within the Hellcannon goes berserk. Remove all of its crew. It may immediately Spew Ichor.
4	A massive backdraft from the Hellcannon sucks one of its crew into its furnace. Remove him.
5	The Hellcannon’s arcane workings snarl and grind; it loses its Daemonic Aura and any other ward saves for the rest of the battle.
6	The Hellcannon’s Chaotic energies go haywire, inflicting a wound on every magic user on the battlefield with no Armour or Ward saves allowed.

FLAYERKIN These are mutants crafted from a fusion of Chaos Marauder, Skaven and hell-forged iron. They use long, sharp claws grafted onto their wrist stumps to behead their foes and scale castle walls with equal ease. The chains fused to their spines ensure that even if they are killed while climbing up to a battlement, their comrades can scale the walls using the trail of their dangling corpses.

	M	WS	BS	S	T	W	I	A	Ld
Flayerkin	4	4	3	4	3	1	4	1	7
Wallcreeper	4	4	3	4	3	1	4	2	8

Cost: 14 points per model
Unit Size: 5-20
Weapons: Brutal climbing claws (two hand weapons).
Options: One Flayerkin may be upgraded to a Wallcreeper at +14 points.
SPECIAL RULES Scouts: See page 112 of the Warhammer rulebook. (Scouts are set up after both armies have been deployed. They can be set up anywhere on the table, at least 10" away from the enemy and must be out of the sight of any enemy troops and in or behind interposing terrain (not out in the open!). If both armies contain troops with this ability, each player should roll a D6, with the player scoring the highest choosing whether he deploys before or after the enemy's Scouts. Two opposing groups of Scouts cannot be set up within 10" of each other.
Alternatively Scouts can be placed on the controlling player's deployment zone like any other troops, after deployment of both main armies is finished.)
Killing Blow: See page 112 of the Warhammer rulebook. (If a model with the Killing Blow special ability rolls a 6 when rolling to wound, he automatically slays his opponent without recourse to a saving throw, apart from Ward saves.
This attack is only effective against roughly man-sized opponents such as Men, Ores, Elves, Beastmen, etc.
It has no effect on big creatures such as Ogres or Dragons, or things like swarms which consist of several creatures. It can be used against models mounted on steeds or monsters as long as the riders themselves are roughly man-sized.)
Skirmishers: See page 115 of the Warhammer rulebook.
Human Chains: Flayerkin may scale walls as if equipped with grappling hooks. If any non-mounted model reaches any wall or tower section that has had at least five Flayerkin scale its walls, it may climb up as if it was equipped with up to five ladders. Flayerkin ignore the penalty for attacking over a defended obstacle.