There are many powerful entities in the Age of Sigmar – gods and daemons walk the realms laying waste to any mortal foolish enough to stand against them. These mythical heroes and inhuman terrors all meet their match to one thing – a race of frogs with really big brains.
The slann are a species like no other. Acutely aware of the geomantic power that underpins all of reality, they are creations of the enigmatic Old Ones, charged with carrying out their progenitors’ Great Plan. They can predict the future, and even abandoned the World-that-Was before it exploded, leaving the apocalypse by setting sail in gigantic temple-ships that crossed the void.
The original Slann Mage Priest is a tubby little toad carried into battle on a palanquin resting atop the shoulders of four surly Saurus Temple Guard*. They would later learn how to levitate their chairs with a fraction of their magical power, using the rest of it to chuck azure comets at their foes and teleport their Seraphon servants into battle.
With the new Seraphon Army Set, the Slann Starmasters have upgraded their floating seats into grand thrones of jade, outfitted with a plethora of accessories and in-house Skink attendants.* The all-powerful Lord Kroak, the only surviving Slann from the ancient first spawning, rests his withered form upon an even more ostentatious recliner that’s more orrery than throne.
The Slann haven’t always been layabout thaumaturges however. If you go far enough back in the history of Games Workshop, you’ll find Slann ambulating about on their own legs. A very early Warhammer scenario, The Legend of Kremlo the Slann, introduced these creatures to the game, pairing an abandoned Slann with a host of Norsemen from Skeggi in a tale of revenge.
A whole range of now exceptionally rare Slann miniatures followed. These ambitious amphibians even made an appearance in Rogue Trader as Space Slann, where we presume they also did a lot of floating but not in big stone chairs. There was a later cameo as a Slanni in a piece of John Blanche art in the fourth edition of Warhammer 40,000. Some were even known to play a bit of ball.**
We may never know whether the Old Ones of Warhammer Fantasy were the same Old Ones who fought against the Necrontyr during the War in Heaven – the Slann keep such secrets to themselves to better preserve the Great Plan.
What we do know is that magical frogs in giant floating chairs are brilliant, and worthy of celebration no matter their age or style.
As the constellations turn and we reflect upon these august croakers, we feel like we can see the fringes of the Great Plan itself. Sign up for our Newsletter so we can send our divinations straight to your inbox.
* Also snacks, plenty of snacks.
** Rules for Slann teams existed in older versions of Blood Bowl – they were lost space farers with easy access to the Very Long Legs skill.