The latest supplement for Warhammer Age of Sigmar is nearly upon us – Season of War: Thondia is up for pre-order this weekend, along with the beautiful Thondian Strongpoint scenery set (including the Krondspine Incarnate). We've already touched on its narrative contents, and the game-changing Incarnate rules.
Now it's time to talk about the Anvil of Apotheosis.
This is the return of a firm fan favourite, which first appeared in the 2020 General’s Handbook and allowed narrative players to bring weird and wonderful kitbashed heroes to their games of Age of Sigmar. The Anvil has received a polish to bring it into the Era of the Beast – and to showcase its weird and wonderful capabilities, we've used it to create a bespoke hero just for you.
Step 1 – The Destiny Point Limit
Returning from the last Anvil is the destiny point limit. Choose your limit and it will tell you the amount of points you can spend on your hero, so make sure you keep adding up as you go along.
Champions get 20 destiny points, great for heroes on foot. Conquerors get 40 points, affording extra luxuries such as giant mounts.* This iteration of the Anvil takes it even further – thanks to the unique Path to Glory objective Hero Quest, you can now set your own destiny point limit and work out how many battles you must participate in to recruit them. Why not create a Godbeast or minor deity for your army to hunt down?
So to try out as many new features as possible, we will be going for the Conquerer destiny point limit.
Step 2 – Ancestries
The second step is to pick an ancestry for your hero. The Anvil includes 24 race options, including Aelves, Daemons, Stormcast Eternals, and many more. The ancestry you pick will cost a number of destiny points and will determine your hero’s Move, Wounds, Bravery, and Save characteristics, as well as giving them certain keywords. You will have opportunities to buff these later down the line.
Today we will be creating Acquisitor Ghalbakk, a Kruleboyz orruk hero. He’s a slimy merchant who eschews the typical Kruleboyz predilection for simple weapons, instead choosing to collect the equipment of slaughtered Dawnbringer Crusaders before reselling it to other orruks for extortionate prices.**
Total: 5/40 points used
Step 3 – The Armoury
Next, we arm our wily hero with some weapons. The Anvil of Apotheosis allows for a huge number of combinations, including classic sword-and-board builds, dual wielding, two different sizes of bow, and much more.
As he has a penchant for purloining, our protagonist will have a sword rather than a traditional Kruleboyz spear – perhaps he stole it from an unfortunate Freeguild General who bit off more than he could chew. He also gets a handbow to defend himself at range.
Total: 7/40 points used
Step 4 – Archetypes
There are three archetypes to choose from that grant associated abilities. Adding an archetype does not cost any destiny points – a priest or mage shouldn’t have to pay for talents they were born with, after all.
Our hero lacks such natural-born gifts, but as an immensely charismatic salesman, he can easily sway groups into doing his bidding with a good sales pitch and a toofy grin. He will receive the Commander archetype, which also grants him the pick of some powerful abilities.
Step 5 – Bestial Companion
How does a lone merchant make his way through the wilds of Ghur with his life intact? He gets a big, scary guard dog, of course! In fact, due to our 40-point limit, we can buy a truly Gargantuan Beast – a Corpse-rippa Vulcha.
Much like The Armoury stage’s point-buy, this part of the Anvil allows you to pay destiny points for doggos. The smallest of these, such as a Gryph-hound or personal Ur-crab, will set you back DP 6. For our orruk’s beloved Vulcha, however, the price is a little steeper at DP 15. Perhaps you could mould this big bird a cute neck ribbon to mark it out as a pampered merchant’s mount, or kitbash it into a different bird of prey using other big avian kits, such as the Tauralon or Griffin.
Finally, you can bestow mount traits upon your new pet. It makes sense for the Vulcha to get Winged Beast and Razor-Sharp Claws, but since we have points to play with, it will also receive the hilarious Gobble Attack so it can consume foes that stray too close to its adored master.
Total: 31/40 points used
Step 6 – Characteristic Enhancements and Abilities
The final step of the Anvil of Apotheosis is to buff your hero with unique abilities. Once again, this works as a point-buy system – and we have DP 9 left over for some juicy options.
Our slippery hero’s gilded tongue has earned him the title of Consummate Commander, allowing him to start the battle with an extra command point. He will also receive Superior Leadership as his comrades admire his kunnin’ intelligence and wealth.
Finally, with three points left over, he will also get Frenzy to reflect the feral orruk temper that hides behind his rotten veneer, allowing him to hit his enemies harder in combat.
Total: 40/40 points used
Our newly-minted Acquisitor Ghalbakk is now ready for battle! As long as you receive your opponent’s permission to include them in your army, you can bring your Anvil of Apotheosis hero to any narrative or open game. You can also find a Path to Glory quest to earn your hero’s recruitment if you wish to create a godbeast or hero figure that your army is seeking out.
The next step is kitbashing a model worthy of our new hero. We reckon the Killaboss on Corpse-rippa Vulcha as a great place to begin.
There are limitless ways to enjoy the new Anvil of Apotheosis. Season of War: Thondia is out this weekend, so make sure to pre-order your copy. In the meantime, why not try a game with Ghalbakk to test-drive the system, or share your custom hero plans with us on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram?
*Don’t let that stop you from making a more simple mounted hero for 20 points, or a terrifyingly dazzling hero on foot with powers coming out of their ears for 40!
**Amberbone, Teef, or even Glimmerings – this wily merchant generously accepts any currency.