As if the incredible new models weren’t enough, Slaanesh is getting a new battletome – one that gives the army more depth and diversity than ever before. With this book, you’ll have a force that hits hard and fast, with an incredible arsenal of spells and a powerful summoning mechanic that allows you to shatter your foes with relentless hordes of daemons! Whether you’re a Godseeker, Pretender or Invader, this battletome makes your army a truly terrifying force on the battlefield…

Depravity PointsOne of the key principles of the Hedonites of Slaanesh army is the depravity points system. This allegiance ability allows you to summon new units of Daemons to the tabletop by spending these points. You’ll earn a depravity point whenever a model is damaged – but not slain – by a Slaanesh Hero, or such a Hero takes a wound. This applies to mortal wounds in the same fashion, meaning you’ve got even more ways to rack them up.

This makes larger models with multiple Wounds, like the Keeper of Secrets and Bladebringer, Herald on Exalted Chariot extremely useful. Each Host of Slaanesh has their own additional mechanics for generating depravity points, too – we’ll be discussing those in more detail below.

Locus of Diversion

A nifty new tool for Slaanesh armies is the Locus of Diversion. All Hedonite Heroes can attempt to divert enemy units in combat, forcing them to fight at the end of the phase – by which time they’ve probably been torn to bits! This allows you to pick apart your foes at your leisure, without having to worry about the usual push-and-pull of selecting units to fight.

Euphoric KillersUnits in Slaanesh armies now possess the Euphoric Killers allegiance ability, which – with a few lucky rolls – can considerably boost their offensive capability. Euphoric Killers is particularly deadly when using horde units, such as Daemonettes, granting you three hits for every unmodified hit roll of 6.

The HostsOn their own, these would be pretty awesome allegiance abilities, but it gets even better. When building your Slaanesh army, you’ll be able to customise them further by picking a Host to which they are dedicated. Each has an additional allegiance ability, a new way to generate depravity points, and its own selection of command traits and artefacts.

The InvadersInvaders are followers of Slaanesh who are basically unfazed by the disappearance of the Dark Prince.  Instead of seeking or usurping their missing god, they only wish to satisfy their basest desires, competing with their fellow warlords to spread Chaos, despair and carnage across the Mortal Realms.

In-game, an Invaders army effectively has three generals. This allows you to benefit from an increased range on a number of command traits and abilities. Additionally, should one of your generals die, you’ll get a command point in the process.

Invaders armies will receive additional depravity points for getting their units into enemy terrain, making them a great fit for armies based around fast-moving units like Seeker Chariots and Hellstriders.

Invaders also have access to some fantastic artefacts, such as the Whip of Subversion, which drives enemy Heroes to attack their allies!

GodseekersThe Godseekers are followers of Slaanesh who endlessly and obsessively hunt for their missing god, committing acts of outrageous violence along the way. For many years, this search seemed fruitless – but in recent times, many of the Godseekers have found their way to the Realm of Shadow…

The speed of these warriors is represented on the tabletop by an allegiance ability that gives them a small but welcome bonus to their charge rolls.

Fittingly, you’ll also receive extra depravity points for charging the foe, meaning you’ll want to get stuck in as quickly and as often as possible.

Godseekers artefacts and command traits offer speed and flexibility to the Hero using them. One of these is Speed-chaser, which lets you retreat and still charge, making it perfect for a Keeper of Secrets looking to avoid getting bogged down.

PretendersPretenders are particularly arrogant followers of Slaanesh who, in the Dark Prince’s absence, have taken up his mantle for themselves. Most Pretenders are particularly influential Keepers of Secrets, but some mortal champions have been known to take up the title. The superb skills of any given Pretender warlord are represented in-game by two command traits rather than one. Additionally, larger Pretenders units can re-roll hit rolls of 1.

These guys get extra depravity points for getting stuck in with their general.

This combines superbly with the Strongest Alone Pretenders command trait, which rewards you with re-rolls to hit while your General is far away from friendly troops. After all, you wouldn’t want to go sharing all the glory, would you?

The Spells

Regardless of which of the hosts you choose, your Slaanesh Wizards will have three spell lores to choose from, each offering new ways to beguile your foes – or obliterate them. Daemon Wizards, for example, will be able to shred hordes with Hysterical Frenzy.

Mortal Wizards, on the other hand, have access to a suite of cunning sorceries like Battle Rapture – a fantastic option for shielding a large unit of Chaos Knights or Hellstriders from battleshock tests.

Greater Daemon Wizards – that’s Shalaxi Helbane and the Keeper of Secrets – have some of the very best options in the book. Song of Secrets allows you to squeeze loads of depravity points out of your enemies, while Slothful Stupor can completely shut down enemy Heroes.

And more!You’ll have to grab yourself a copy of Battletome: Hedonites of Slaanesh to unlock all of its secrets for yourself – and we haven’t even gotten into just how awesome these allegiance abilities are going to be with your favourite Slaves to Darkness units or Slaanesh-allied Beasts of Chaos…

Begin your Slaanesh army with the Start Collecting! set – and check back soon for more previews.