The Slaves to Darkness have many faces, but many among them are the hardy men and women of the Darkoath Tribes, abandoned by Sigmar when he beat a hasty retreat from Archaon at the dawn of the Age of Chaos.
They make oaths to their gods in return for power, and their most ferocious leaders pursue the heady heights of the Path to Glory. With a savage new Spearhead coming alongside Battletome: Slaves to Darkness, they’ll soon be able to pledge their allegiance in this fast and furious game mode.
The Darkoath Raiders are a roving band of brutes united by a Darkoath Warqueen, a fearless warrior who has reached the dizzying heights of leadership amongst the Darkoath Tribes, and as such has begun her long journey to ascend the Path to Glory.
Once per turn, they can make one of their infamous Oaths to Darkness, proving their might to the gods so that they might be handsomely rewarded. To do so, they choose one of their battle tactic cards and show it to their opponent.
If it is scored, the card remains face up and the command ability on it can be used at any applicable time during the rest of the game. Face-up Oaths don’t count towards your hand of battle tactics, so by fulfilling them you can amass a trove of commands to call on.
Oaths of Darkness
Once Per Turn (Army), Your Hero Phase
The Darkoath are roving barbarian raiders who seek to prove their might by swearing oaths of bloodshed and murder to the Dark Gods.
Effect: You can reveal 1 battle tactic card in your hand to your opponent. If you do so, that battle tactic card becomes your oath for the rest of the turn.
While this battle tactic card is your oath, you can still use the command on it, or attempt to score the battle tactic on it, as normal.
If you score the battle tactic on your oath this turn, your oath is fulfilled. Instead of discarding the card, it is placed to one side but you can still use the command on it. Once you do so, the card is discarded as normal. Fulfilled oaths placed to one side in this way do not count towards the 3 battle tactic cards you can have in your hand.
If you use the command on your oath before it is scored, it is discarded as normal. At the end of the turn, if the oath is still in your hand and that oath has not been fulfilled, it ceases to be your oath.
The Darkoath Raiders have two Regiment Abilities. They can either go all-in on melee combat with the Rage of Arkhar, which allows a unit to improve its Rend, or lean into their natural talent for hit-and-run attacks as Fearless Invaders.
REGIMENT ABILITIES:
Pick 1 of the following regiment abilities
RAGE OF ARKHAR
Once Per Turn (Army), Any Combat Phase
Unholy anger is stoked in the hearts of these warriors, filling them with hate- fuelled stamina.
Declare: Pick a friendly unit in combat to be the target.
Effect: For the rest of the turn, add 1 to the Rend characteristic of the target’s melee weapons.
Designer’s Note: This does not affect Companion weapons.
FEARLESS INVADERS
Once Per Turn (Army), Your Movement Phase
These warriors are skilled raiders, riding into enemy settlements to plunder and pillage before retreating from more organised resistance.
Declare: Pick a friendly unit in combat to be the target.
Effect: If the target uses a Retreat ability this turn, no mortal damage is inflicted on it and it can still use Charge abilities later in the turn.
The Darkoath Warqueen herself is the lynchpin, taking Oath of Supremacy in her Hero Phase, bestowing improved hit rolls to a unit within 12”.
OATH OF SUPREMACY
Your Hero Phase
By the will of the gods, this warrior leads her barbarous horde into the lands of the enemy, allowing none to oppose them.
Declare: Pick a friendly unit wholly within 12" of your general to be the target.
Effect: Until the start of your next turn, add 1 to hit rolls for attacks made by the target.
Usually found roving the lands in pursuit of their own oaths, the Darkoath Savagers are accompanied by a Godspeaker, who uses her powers of divination to receive Visions of Glory.
VISIONS OF GLORY
Your Hero Phase
Godspeakers use their powers of divination to scry the future and see what glory awaits their kin.
Effect: If this unit includes a Godspeaker, roll 8 dice. For each 6, until the start of your next turn, you can re-roll 1 hit roll, 1 wound roll, 1 run roll or 1 save roll for this unit.
The force is completed by five swift Darkoath Fellriders, and 10 Darkoath Marauders who have the chance to return to battle via the Reinforcements keyword.
You’ll be able to pre-order Battletome: Slaves to Darkness and the new Darkoath Raiders Spearhead box on Saturday, so you can make all sorts of promises to the pantheon, and secure power unimaginable for fulfilling these dark bonds.
