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This is the third Codex: Chaos Daemons published. It follows Codex: Chaos Daemons (2013). In fact this is essentially a straight update of the prior edition, editing some small parts of the text and adding a new appendix containing additional content.
Rather than repeat the content from the previous edition, refer to that edition's page. Instead only the changes and new content will be covered here.
Rules-wise, these changes are in line with the FAQ published by Games Workshop.
Scions of the Warp is an appendix to the Codex that adds the following additional new content:
Comparing the old Bloodthirster entry with the new set of three, the Bloodthirster of Unfettered Fury is the same as the previous listing (Warp-forged Armour is not listed as a Daemonic Gift but is still included in the profile). Note that the Lord of Blood rule has been dropped from all Bloodthirsters, so Daemon Princes of Khorne remain as HQ choices only (not Heavy Support instead); this is probably a mistake. Skarbrand retains the Lord of Blood rule since his CAD entry still exists.
The suppurating Daemons of the Tallyband trudge into battle, surrounded by the drone of a billion flies. A squelching flood of Nurglings spills across the battlefield at the host's fore, giggling and squealing as they nip and scratch the enemy. Behind these stench-ridden hell-mites shamble rank upon rank of dour Plaguebearers, their incessant counting interspersed with fatalistic grumbles and the odd phlegmy retch. The stink of the Tallyband is a weapon in its own right, a metaphysical foulness that seeps through every barrier to leave its victims weak and nauseated. Worse are the swirling clouds of flies that swarm blizzard-thick around the Daemons, blanketing the enemy in the crawling horror of their rot-fat bodies until they can barely fight back against the muttering killers in their midst.
Restrictions: None.
Distracting Swarm of Flies: Enemy units cannot fire Overwatch against units from a Tallyband.
Enfeebling Nausea: At the start of each Assault phase, enemy units that are locked in combat with any units from a Tallyband must pass a Leadership test or reduce their Strength and Toughness characteristics by 1 for the duration of that phase.
Harbinger of Nurgle: If the Herald of Nurgle from this Formation is a Lesser Locus of Virulence, Greater Locus of Fecundity or an Exalted Locus of Contagion, the special rules associated with that locus affect all units from this Formation that are within 12" of him. If such a unit is also affected by another locus, they will receive both benefits.
Bounding and buzzing, flopping and flapping, the bestial Daemons of Nurgle lurch awkwardly to war. They are herded by a Herald of Nurgle bearing the dubious title of Mouldsire of the Rotswarm, whose task is far from an enviable one. While they can impale a man with every proboscis stab, Plague Drones are spiteful, wilful Daemons that wish only to hurt other living things. The Beasts of Nurgle are all but impossible to herd, being lolloping simpletons whose joy at the sight of new playmates deafens them to even the most desperately bellowed commands. Despite these challenges, when the Mouldsire succeeds in herding the Rotswarm into the enemy's ranks the Daemons become a foul wall of corrosive slime and crushing bodies that swiftly reduces its victims to bubbling corpse-sludge.
Restrictions: None.
Harbinger of Nurgle: If the Herald of Nurgle from this Formation is a Lesser Locus of Virulence, Greater Locus of Fecundity or an Exalted Locus of Contagion, the special rules associated with that locus affect all units from this Formation that are within 12" of him. If such a unit is also affected by another locus, they will receive both benefits.
Corrosive Slime: All units in a Rotswarm have the Hammer of Wrath special rule, and these attacks have the Poisoned (4+) special rule.
Dubious Command: At the start of each of the controlling player's Assault phases, the Herald of Nurgle from a Rotswarm can attempt to direct a single unit from his Formation that is within 12" of him. To do so, he must take a Leadership test. If the test is passed, the directed unit can re-roll failed charge rolls and all models in the unit can make 3 additional Attacks until the end of the turn; if the test is failed, the directed unit must attempt to charge the nearest enemy unit in this Charge subphase, but is otherwise unaffected.
D6 | Warlord Trait |
---|---|
1 | Blessed with Corpulence: Nurgle's blessing upon this Daemon is plain to see, for his hulking frame is hideously bloated and riddled with corruption. Add 1 to the Wounds characteristic of your Warlord. |
2 | Acidic Ichor: Those that pierce this Daemon's straining flesh are sprayed with sizzling bile that swiftly sears its way through armour, flesh and bone. Each time your Warlord suffers a Wound in the Assault phase, the unit that dealt the blow suffers a single Strength 1 AP2 hit with the Poisoned (4+) special rule. |
3 | Plaguefly Hive: This Daemon's pockmarked hide conceals a colony of Plagueflies that swarm forth to bite and bedevil those nearby. Enemy units within 7" of your Warlord can only fire Snap Shots when targeting your Warlord and his unit. |
4 | Virulent Touch: So saturated with noxious poisons and toxins is this Daemon that should its concoction of diseases enter the bloodstream of a mortal, the result is as gruesome as it is deadly. If a model suffers any unsaved Wounds from your Warlord in the Assault phase, it must pass a Toughness test at the end of the phase or suffer 1 additional Wound. Armour or cover saves cannot be taken against this Wound. |
5 | Impenetrable Hide: Beneath this Daemon's hide are layers of rotting blubber, a dense mass that must be dug through to reach the vitals buried beneath. Your Warlord has the Feel No Pain special rule. If your Warlord already has the Feel No Pain rule, he instead adds 1 to his Feel No Pain rolls. |
6 | Miasma of Pestilence: Those who venture too close to this Daemon's diseased presence find their injuries blackening in seconds, their flesh swiftly turning to rot. Enemy units within 7" of your Warlord that suffer any unsaved Wounds during the Shooting or Assault phase suffer D6 additional Strength 1 hits with the Poisoned (5+) special rule at the end of that phase. Armour or cover saves cannot be taken against Wounds suffered in this manner. |
Daemons of Nurgle that have the option to take Daemonic Rewards can also take a Hellforged Artefact of Nurgle, paying the points shown below. These don't count towards the points spent on Daemonic Rewards, but a model can't have more than one Hellforged Artefact (of any type). Only one of each of these items may be chosen per army.
Grotti was once a mortal tribesman whose dubious personal hygiene saw him shunned even by his primitive people. After an unfortunate incident in which Grotti accidentally contaminated his tribe's stew with grox dung, leading to an epidemic of crippling gut-rot, he was finally banished from his tribe. Alone and bereft of shelter, Grotti's doom was inevitable. Yet as he slowly wasted away from starvation and fever began to take hold of his emaciated body, an otherworldly power took notice of his predicament. Nurgle gazed down upon this disgusting mortal with a sense of paternal pride and, though he chose not to save Grotti's life, spirited away his departing soul and refashioned it into a Nurgling. Ever since this unconventional apotheosis, Grotti's foetid aura has only worsened, and now has the power to wrack victims with a spectacularly messy wasting sickness.
Reduce the Toughness characteristic of all models (friend or foe) by 1 whilst they remain within 6" of a model accompanied by Grotti the Nurgling, unless they have the Daemon of Nurgle special rule.
This fabled weapon is the literal manifestation of corruption in its purest form. The merest scratch from its plague-ridden edge is enough to lay low the hardiest foe and can effortlessly overcome even the superhuman resilience of a Space Marine.
Range | S | AP | Type |
---|---|---|---|
- | * | - | Melee, Hyper-infection, Touch of Rust |
Hyper-infection: Any hits inflicted by this weapon automatically cause Wounds (there is no need to roll). Use the bearer's Strength characteristic as normal for the purposes of armour penetration against vehicles or determining if a target suffers Instant Death.
Touch of Rust: Weapons with this special rule cause a glancing hit on an armour penetration roll of a 6, unless the roll would otherwise cause a penetrating hit.
Those slain by a Daemon crowned with the fabled Horn of Nurgle's Rot are doomed to rise once more, their altered corpse joining the shambling ranks of Nurgle's tallymen.
After resolving the bearer's close combat attacks, add 1 model to a friendly unit of Plaguebearers of Nurgle within 12" of the bearer for each enemy model that was slain. The model must be placed within unit coherency, more than 1" from any enemy models. Any models that cannot be placed in this manner are lost.
So prolific are the daemon-bacteria infesting this plague-flail that the body of any foe struck down by its filth-encrusted barbs swells into a quivering, pus-bloated blister, before bursting amongst its kin in a spray of deadly contagions. Thus can dozens of foes succumb to a single swing of Epidemia.
Range | S | AP | Type |
---|---|---|---|
- | +1 | - | Melee, Mass Contagion, Specialist Weapon |
Mass Contagion: Each time a model is removed as the result of an attack made by this weapon, its unit must immediately pass a Toughness test or suffer an additional Wound with no armour or cover saves allowed.
To hear the grim tolling of this great bell upon the winds is a death sentence, for its chime heralds the arrival of Nurgle's plague hordes. Such is its dread power that a single tolling of the Doomsday Bell reverberates for long minutes, spreading dread and despair even over the clangour of battle.
The Doomsday Bell is an Instrument of Chaos. Whilst the bearer is on the battlefield, subtract 1 from the Leadership characteristic of all enemy units.
Duke Olaks was once a proud leader of an ancient people who foolishly ordered his scientists to formulate an elixir to make him immortal. It was with great delight that Nurgle bestowed upon him a terrible wasting sickness for his arrogance. So torturous was the incurable contagion's effect on the duke's undying body that Olaks demanded his scientists develop an antidote to the elixir so that death could finally free him from his eternal torment. Though they dutifully succeeded in this venture, Nurgle was far from finished with his newest plaything. Duke Olaks' head now serves as a potent weapon that can be cast amongst the Lord of Decay's enemies to spread the very same plague that once afflicted its long-dead owner.
Range | S | AP | Type |
---|---|---|---|
12" | 1 | 4 | Assault 1, Large Blast, One Use Only, Poisoned (2+) |
1 Great Unclean One, Daemon Prince of Nurgle or Herald of Nurgle only.
2 Daemon Prince of Nurgle or Herald of Nurgle only.
3 Great Unclean One only.
4 Herald of Nurgle only.
The source of Nurgle's strength has ever been the endless cycle of death, decay and eventual rebirth. As such, Nurgle's daemonic minions use the power of the Warp to trigger and accelerate this process with virulent plagues and debilitating afflictions in order to create a foetid existence that is more pleasing to their infernal master.
The psyker's maw distends wide before spewing forth a noxious stream of disease and filth that chokes and suffocates his victims.
Stream of Corruption is a witchfire power with the following profile:
Range | S | AP | Type |
---|---|---|---|
Template | - | 3 | Assault 1, Poisoned (4+) |
At the Daemon's command, the bodies of his enemies bulge with excruciatingly painful inflammation, every fibre of their being wracked by torturous swellings.
Debilitating Distention is a malediction that targets a single enemy unit within 24". Whilst the power is in effect, the target unit cannot Run, perform Sweeping Advances or fire Overwatch.
The Daemon belches forth a wind of plague that chokes and poisons his foes.
Plague Wind is a witchfire power with the profile below. It has no effect on vehicles.
Range | S | AP | Type |
---|---|---|---|
12" | 1 | 2 | Assault 1, Large Blast, Poisoned (4+) |
The daemonic followers of Nurgle use their Warp gifts to surround themselves with ghastly, vomit-inducing odours that cripple nearby foes.
Miasma of Pestilence is a blessing that targets the Psyker. At the start of each Fight sub-phase whilst this power is in effect, roll a D3. Until the end of the phase, all enemy units locked in close combat with the target or his unit suffer a penalty to their Weapon Skill and Initiative characteristics equal to the result.
The psyker reaches out a clawed hand from which drifts a vile cloud of Warp-spores. Enemies engulfed by this cloud are seized by a terribly contagious infection that blackens their flesh and rots their organs to sludge.
Rancid Visitations is a nova power with a range of 12". Each target unit must pass a Toughness test or suffer a Wound with no armour or cover saves allowed.
If a model is slain, its unit must pass another Toughness test or suffer an additional Wound with no armour or cover saves allowed. Repeat the process until a Toughness test is passed or the unit is destroyed.
The Daemon forces the energies of decay deep into his victim's body, causing internal organs to liquify and gush forth from every orifice in a revolting torrent. Only the most stalwart and resolute foe can withstand such punishing physical trauma for more than a few fleeting heartbeats.
Final Decomposition is a focussed witchfire power with the profile below. It has no effect on vehicles.
Range | S | AP | Type |
---|---|---|---|
12" | * | 2 | Assault 1, Ignores Cover, Instant Death, Internal Liquefaction |
Internal Liquefaction: Instead of rolling To Wound normally for a model hit by this attack, its controlling player must roll a D6. If the result is higher than the number of Wounds the target has remaining, it suffers 1 Wound resolved using the profile above.
Beseeching Grandfather Nurgle for aid, the Daemon calls forth the blessing of the Lord of Decay to invigorate the plague-ridden bodies of his followers. Perverse vigour floods through atrophied limbs, leathery hides thicken into flabby rolls, and fresh crops of mucus-thick boils and buboes blossom.
Putrescent Vitality is a blessing that targets a single friendly unit with the Daemon of Nurgle special rule within 24". Each time this psychic power is used, choose whether it will have a Warp Charge cost of 1, 2 or 3. Whilst this power is in effect, add 1 to the Toughness characteristic of all models in the target unit for each point of Warp charge that it cost to manifest.
For decomposition and eventual rebirth - even in a corrupted form - to take place, death must first occur. So do Nurgle's vassals dutifully perform their part in the endless cycle of life.
Score 1 Victory Point at the end of your turn if at least one enemy unit was completely destroyed during your turn. If at least one such unit was completely destroyed by a friendly unit with the Daemon of Nurgle special rule, score 2 Victory Points instead.