The bone tithe never stops, so the Mortisans never run out of raw material. Meanwhile, the Hour of Ruin is heating up, so Katakros has ordered fresh innovation.
Therefore, the Ossiarch Bonereapers are getting a big toolkit upgrade. You get loud, brutal war engines, yet you also get sneaky surgical pieces. And honestly, it feels like the army is doubling down on being the most methodical bullies in Death.
Mortek Triaxes: archers that weaponize fear and scoring
Mortek Triaxes have been wanted by Bonereaper commanders for ages, even before Skaven pressure forced changes. The early versions were niche scouts, but the perfected design has a third eye tuned to sensing enemy souls. They are built to complement Mortek Guard, which makes sense, since you want your brick to actually score while it grinds.
For every 10 Triaxes, you bring two three legged Balefire Braziers. If all their shots hit the same target, you drop a Brazier token next to that enemy unit. Then Atavistic Nightmares kicks in, cutting control scores by 3 and spreading to enemies within 3 inches. It is basically objective denial via supernatural trauma. Better still, healing is the only way to put the flames out. However, healing is forced to extinguish instead of restoring models, which is a nasty trade.
Liege-Kavalos on War Chariot: three-pronged charges and movement phase murder
Liege-Kavalos are already top tier commanders, and War Chariots let them enforce orders at high speed. As Masterful Charioteers, they can pull defensive manoeuvres that grant Ward 5+. Moreover, by following their command, up to two nearby Kavalos War Chariots also gain the ward, so you get a classic three unit spearhead.
Grind Them to Dust is a movement phase brawl tool. The Liege-Kavalos and two chariots can pile in, then roll for mortal damage on a 2+. The chariots also have Scything Assault, which deals D3 mortals on the charge, then lets the chariot reposition by removing and setting it up again within 1 inch. In addition, their Pinning Attacks are an ability on a 3+ that deals 1 mortal and stops the target from piling in. So they hit, they shove, and they glue you in place.
Mortis Reapers and Liege-Mortek: teleport tricks and clinical combo turns
Mortis Reapers are the opposite of chariots. They are assassins who embody No Escaping the Tithe by vanishing into terrain and reappearing elsewhere. If no enemies are within 6 inches, they can target a terrain feature within 3 inches, then redeploy wholly within 3 inches of it and more than 9 from enemies. They also carry Necrocaches that pop grave sand in combat. On a 2+ you deal D3 mortals, then the Reapers move 6 and slip out of engagement.
Liege-Morteks are the lowest ranking officers, yet they add real bite. Clinical Efficiency lets a nearby Mortek Guard, Triaxes, or Crawler act after the Liege-Mortek fights. They get +1 to hit, and ranged weapons gain Shoot in Combat. If the shooting unit is not in combat, it must shoot units fighting the Liege-Mortek, which is very “point at that problem and delete it.”
Summary
This reveal adds archers that punish control scores, chariots that crash through lines, and assassins that blink through terrain. Moreover, Liege-Morteks enable nasty follow-up activations, including shooting in combat for Triaxes and Crawlers. So the army gains speed, debuffs, and trick movement without losing its disciplined vibe. Finally, everything mentioned here, plus the new battletome, goes up for pre-order on Saturday.
And remember, Frontline Gaming sells gaming products at a discount, every day in their webcart!
