It was fated that you should be reading this review of the new Warhammer Battletome: Disciples of Tzeentch. Or... was it? The question of fate, and the role the gods play in stitching together the story of the cosmos, is central to the figure of Tzeentch. But who is The Change God Tzeentch, and how do his armies play in Warhammer: Age of Sigmar? These questions, and so many more, are answered in the newest rulebook dedicated to the chaos-aligned Tzeentch armies. We're diving into the new Warhammer Battletome: Disciples of Tzeentch, available for preorder this weekend from Games Workshop. GW sent us a copy of the Battletome to review, so read on for some of our thoughts on it.
What's Covered In The Warhammer Battletome: Disciples of Tzeentch?
Covered in the 112 pages of the Warhammer Battletome: Disciples of Tzeentch are rules for fielding a Disciples of Tzeentch army, as well as loads of lore on the Change God and his covens, Path to Glory campaign rules, a highly detailed photo showcase and painting tutorials, and more.
The book opens with the lore, some 39 pages delving into who Tzeentch is, the history of Tzeentch and his disciples in the mortal realms, and the various covens pledged to Tzeentch. I find the details of the covens one of the most fascinating aspects of the book. Covered here are The Eternal Conflagration, who delight in engulfing the land in waves of wyrdflame (that crackling fire that distorts reality). There's also time spent with The Hosts Duplicitous, who have mastered the art of deception. The Unbound Flux, my favorite of all the covens, focus all their attention on unbinding reality and driving mortals to madness with impossible monstrosities.
What Are The Standout Units In the Warhammer Battletome: Disciples of Tzeentch?
Included in the Warhammer Battletome: Disciples of Tzeentch are loads of options for units to field in your army. From the bird-like Tzaangor flying on spinning discs of death, to the bursting and splitting pink, blue, and brimstone horrors, the breadth of available units is stunning.
There's special attention paid to the massive Lords of Change. These feathered, bird-like greater daemons are master spellslingers, and prefer to fly at a distance and hurl magic at their foes. The models for the Lords of Change look amazing, and their abilities, like the one previewed below by Games Workshop, show what a force they are on the battlefield.
One of the creepiest, and most interesting, types of units in the Disciples of Tzeentch army are the Gaunt Summoners. Only nine exist in all the realms, and it's said that only the gods themselves possess a greater command of magic than them. Now ruled by Archaon the Everchosen of Chaos, the Gaunt Summoners travel from realm to realm in their crystal towers, summoning hordes of daemons and casting reality-warping spells.
How Does An Army In The Warhammer Battletome: Disciples of Tzeentch Play?
Playing an army taken from the Warhammer Battletome: Disciples of Tzeentch is all about focusing on magic, mischief, and the ability to summon new units from off the board. Each of the Change Covens is also given special attention, and comes with their own unique ability. When building your army, you'll choose a coven to focus on, and each of your units with the relevant keywords will benefit from their unique abilities. For The Hosts Arcanum, who focus on all things magic, their wizards can automatically unbind an enemy spell in the 1st, 3rd, and 5th battle rounds. For The Pyrofane Cult, who wish to engulf the mortal realms in flame, they add 1 to hit rolls for attacks made for their Arcane Bolt spells, and any enemies who suffered wounds from that bolt suffer an extra D3 mortal wounds at the end of the shooting phase (as the fire keeps burning their flesh).
Another fun addition to the Disciples of Tzeentch is the use of Destiny Dice. At the start of the game, you roll 9 D6 and set those aside. Then, when you wish, you can replace a normal roll with one of the Destiny Dice you've used. This works for almost all rolls, including a run roll, an attack roll, and so on.
Being so spell focused, there's also a hefty addition of new spells to choose from. There's "Unchecked Mutation" which when successfully cast deals D3 mortal wounds to an enemy unit (and an additional D3 mortal wounds if any models were slain). There's also "Glimpse The Future," which when successfully cast allows you to roll and add an additional destiny dice as mentioned above.
What Are Our Final Thoughts On Warhammer Battletome: Disciples of Tzeentch?
This is just scratching the surface of all the different new rules, abilities, and unit statistics available for a Disciples of Tzeentch army, but there's truly so much more to explore. I love the lore of Tzeentch, though I will admit if you're already familiar with much of the story of the God of Change, this will feel more like a retelling of the tale vs. new information. There also aren't many new additions to the units included, but their rules, abilities, and stats feel perfectly refreshed for this edition of the game.
Should I Buy Warhammer Battletome: Disciples of Tzeentch?
If you already own a Disciples of Tzeentch army, this book will completely refresh your army and add lots of exciting new abilities and options to your army. Though we didn't cover it here, the Path to Glory is also really exciting and offers a fun narrative to play through. If you don't own a Disciples of Tzeentch army, there likely isn't enough included in this book to make it worth picking up.
The copy of Warhammer Battletome: Disciples of Tzeentch used in this review was provided by Games Workshop.