MAGIC & SPELLS
Lore of Nehekhara
Lore attribute - the restless dead not exactly a spell, but equally important, is the Lore Attribute, the Restless Dead. Now, this Attribute may not be as powerful as some, but it truly has its uses. It allows the raising of or restoring of wounds to units of Nehekharan Undead that have had an Augment from the Lore of Nehekhara.
First off, it's a done deal. No rolling 5+ or giving situational bonuses from this Attribute- if you cast an augment it happens, period. That's pretty useful- and the fact that it restores a minimum of 2 is pretty cool too. Then again, it's really dissapointing it doesn't work well with the animated statuary we like to field. But all in all, a good Utility Attribute- not balls-to-the-walls offensive like Fire, one-trick pony like Light, or sneakily powerful like Life's attributes, but nothing to sneeze at either.
(Signature): Khsar's Incantation of the Desert Wind Augment spell: Cast on a 8+/16+
Description: Any spell caster can take this by exchanging one of their rolled spells for it. It affects
all units within 12" of the caster and allows them to make a normal move (so no charge or march, but can be used to reform/fast-reform). Basically everything in a 12" bubble can effectively march. And gets healed.
Powered Up: Bubble is now 24".
I really hate this spell, not because it's a bad spell, it's arguably quite good, and in fact it's by no means the most situational spell in the game.
It's just that it really only exists to plug the crippling weakness of not being allowed to march! It means we have to spend power dice to do what everyone else does for free and the prospect of having it dispelled leaves your army bumbling across the battlefield at 4-5" a turn. It wouldn't be so bad if we could ignore it but having and totally useless thereafter.
Why to use it:
desert wind is almost essential for any kind of manoeuvrability in the first two turns. Yeah, it's a really bad way to try and alleviate the marching ban, but unfortunately it's the only thing we can do unless you want to spend 4-5 turns before getting to grips with the enemy.
Anyway, it's nice that it's a bubble, and it does add some much needed maneuverability to the army, and if you're using a level 4 to cast, it'll go off half the time with a single die- risky to start with, but something that could be used at the end of the magic phase if you have that spare die and spell. And it's an Augment, so it's always useful to heal- except on units in combat.
Why don't use it:
I don't really care for the 4 etra inches my infantry would gain, not if it costs powerdice.
I would only want to cast walking if it allowed me to gain an advatageous flanking position or so, but there's two theoretical problems with that that have kept me from casting it so far:
1: my opponent isn't stupid, so it isn't going to happen
2: flanking units ar far away, so this isn't going to be a relatively cheap opening spell that can either draw dispell dice or be a freebie; it's going to be a powered up bubble spell that costs recources.
Tomb King is not a run up and smash you in the face army. The army wins by attrition and positioning. In the early turns, I would much rather spend my dice on the casket to kill off their support units than to rush right at a force that is most likely better at killing things than I am. Soften the opponent up, and then strike. Desert wind doesn't help that at all.
1) Djaf's Incantation of Cursed Blades Augment spell - Cast on a 7+/10+
Description: Target within 12" now gains killing blow. If they already have killing blow it now works on a 5+ wound roll
Powered Up: Range extended to 24"
Now, for whatever odd reason, this spell is actually
easier to cast than Khsar's, but whatever. Now, something I noticed a bit ago is that this is a 'stackable' augment- in other words, there's nothing in the working of the spell that prevents it from being used multiple times, and for each successive use to add to the previous use. In the case of Cursed Blades, this means that you could potentially give any unit in the entire army a 5+ Killing Blow. ('Stacking' the spell is only possible with Khatep's Loremaster ability)
First off, which of the units we have benefit most from a 5+ Killing Blow, and which units benefit most from a 6+ (obviously any unit benefits more from the 5+, but we'll assume, for now, that we only have access to it once). Our Serpents, Tomb Guard and Sphinxes all already have KB, so it benefits them a ton, of course, and probably Tomb Guard the most- but would it be worth it to cast on a Sphinx? (the sphinx's thundercrush ability benefits from killing blow. See TK FAQ)
This spell, of course, can only target a single unit, and that only in 12", though the Boosted version isn't that much more difficult to cast, and doubles the range. Would it be worth it to cast it twice on a single unit? Or would it be better to 'spread the love' and have 2 units that benefit, if you have Khatep and another?
Why to use it:
This spell is probably one of the nicer ones to have for a 'combat Heirophant/Priest', one on the Front lines, and its range would actually allow you to cast it on a unit in a flanking position in the same combat you're in.
Vs some opponents it's only useful simply as a cheap heal and bring back d3+1. Not just ogres, but any armor-free army like daemons or woodies. Against other armies, its psychological effect is quite powerful. People are likely to burn more dispel dice than they should to stop it, especially if a character is involved fighting against the unit getting buffed.
Something else to consider is it's benefits onto chariots, or for Kings with Destroyer of Eternities, and the Necrosphinxe's Heroic Killing Blow attack- giving each of these a 5+ HKB is incredible, allowing your hela your Sphinx and give it the chance to snipe its target 1/3 of the time instead of 1/6, and making the King an incredible threat to any MI he might come up against.
Why don't use it:
The killing blow thing is nice, but I never seem to roll sixes when I have it, and even then it only really shines against things with high AS.
More seriously, if you equipped your TG with sword and shield, counting on it as offensive threat, and it is dispelled...
2) Neru's Incantation of Protection augment spell - Cast on a 9+/18+ Description: Target within 12" now gains a 5+ ward
Powered Up: Affects all units within 12"
This is the third of the Augment spells, and the second one that cannot be 'stacked', as Djaf's and Ptra's can- it 'only' gives a 5+ Ward save, instead of adding "+1 to Ward" or something like that.
This is a pretty simple spell, with either a basic, one unit target in a foot, or a foot bubble- however, it doubles the casting cost, which is fairly major. This spell is definitely one you want for any unit in close combat, and could take the place of a character specific Ward.
Some strategies with it would be that Magic Resistance stacks with this spell's effect, allowing you to give units in your army anything from a 5+ to a 2+ Ward vs. magic damage.
It works best on units that don't have a parry save or regen save, for example Halberd guard, constructs (without necrotects), carrion and cavalry. Especially carrion (and possibly cavalry) can become quite resilient with it.
It also synergizes with some character builds that don't rely on ward saves. Glittering scales, trickster's helm and silver steel armour comes to mind.
Why to use it:
Simple spell, saves 1/3 of your casualties, plus all that related additional crumble and subsequent heal.
It pads the fact we dont have decent armor. The higher casting is a little expensive, but it can come in handy some times. Ive found the quickest way to draw out dispel dice is to cast this baby on a sphinx and watch the enemy cringe and grab their dice quickly.
Why don't use it:
Usually you need kills to win combats, so this spell is quite average, compared to Ptra
3) Ptra's Incantation of Righteous Smiting augment spell Cast on a 9+/18+ Description: Target within 12" gets +1 attacks. Bows (includes Ushabti bows but not the Collosus bow) get multiple shot (2)
Powered Up: Affects all units within 24"
Here's the last of the Nehekharan Augments, and the last spell to benefit from the Lore Attribute. However, it's also another 'stackable' spell, in that casting it more than once on a unit will apply more bonuses. Unfortunately, multiple casts do nothing for shooting attacks, as it states "Gains multiple shot (2)" instead of saying they get another shot. However, in close combat, it says the target's Attacks are increased by 1, meaning if you cast it twice, you increase the attacks by 2.
This spell is generally considered the most useful on large blocks of infantry or archers, and I can see that easily- however, it can have other uses, such as being cast on Colossi that are going into combat, giving them an extra chance (or two) to continue their Unstoppable Assault. A Colossus with XHW and smiting (or double smiting, from Khatep) could get up to 5 or 6 attacks! And with those attacks ignoring any armour less than 3+, you could easily chew through an entire block of enemy infantry.
Why to use it:
One of the big things about this spell, though, is that it's simply a bonus attack, with whatever extra features the model's regular attacks get (not to mention it adds attacks to mounts as well). So it combines well with Djaf's, or Flaming Banners, or Khalida archers, Ushabti with bows (I shoot you twice and have +1 attack to beat your face), chariots (I shoot you twice and have +2 attacks to beat your face), and warsphinxes (I have 5 more attacks...)
Hands down best spell.
Why don't use it:
It is so good that the opponent will always try to dispel it. So, sometime you could plan your magic phase to succeed in everthing else and have your opponent save dispel dices for a thing you are not going to cast.
4) Usirian's Incantation of Vengeance hex spell Cast on a 10+/13+ Description: Target within 18" gets -D3 movement and takes dangerous terrain tests every time it moves
Powered Up: Extends range to 36"
This spell is fairly low casting value, with a decent range- and its Boosted version barely increases the cast cost, while doubling the range, which is amazing. You should be able to get this spell off (Heirotitan and Lvl 4) half the time with a single die (good if you leave it till last) or almost every single time with a measely two, which is incredibly cheap considering what it does.
First off, it reduces enemy Move by up to 3- while this might not seem a lot, it basically turns long shot charges into impossibilities, and 50/50 charges into Long Shots, while adding the bonus of Dangerous Terrain.
This is a spell that you'd actually want multiple of in your army if possible, so another one for consideration with Khatep and another LP/LHP- for, not only could you then target multiple enemy units, possibly tieing up or delaying their entire advance for multiple turns by using it on fast-moving redirectors they were expecting out of the way, but it is 'stackable', in that multiple castings will each reduce movement by d3 "to a minimum of 1"- so you could potentially reduce those Bretonian Knights down 6 Move, or any fast-moving enemy. And with the ability to reliably cast even the Boosted version on two dice, it's not gobbling up your dice pool like the boosted versions of other spells.
Why to use it:
Dangerous Terrain, one of the least respected methods of dealing damage, simply because it's 'optional' for the enemy. The thing is, with this spell, it's the
entire unit that's testing, not just a couple on the edges, which means the unit will be reduced by a 6th of its size (minus Ward saves, if any) every time they move, including on charges, marches, basic moves, etc.
This is a great spell to use in conjunction with the Golden Mask (or any Terror causer, really) because you can possibly force your opponent to move; same with the Screaming Skull Catapult- it's a situation where Skulls of the Foe could be worth its points- and is also incredibly useful on any unit that has compulsory movement, such as Chaos spawn (if anyone used them).
Very useful when you charge a unit: this will force them to take tests when they combat reform (best used against stubborn / unbreakable troops when you hit them in the flank, for example)
Why don't use it:
You may kill some model, but you are not building your tactics on it. This is not Ptra, neither Usekhp
5) Usekhp's Incantation of Desiccation hex spell Cast on a 11+/22+ Description: Target within 24" has -1 S and -1 T
Powered Up: Increases effect to D3.
This is a decent range hex that does a straight -1 Strength and -1 Toughness. It's fairly simple, but very useful. And again, it's stackable using Khatep. So 4 dice to guarantee -2 Strength and Tougness on an enemy unit or suck up opponent's Dispel Dice)? Yes please.
It's Boosted version is kinda rubbish, though. It's double the casting value, and has a 1/3 chance of not doing anything more than the non-boosted version- however, there is that slim chance that you could reduce a Stank to T4, or pretty much anything else to T1 for two whole phases. Slim, (and it'd suck up dice like nobodies business) but there.
This spell is probably not one to rely on for its effect, but for its threat. An opponent is often going to need to throw at least 3 DD to your two to have a decent chance of dispelling it, but if it doesn't get dispelled, it's still worth having cast.
It's best combined with 4 charriots barreling into the enemy infantry alongside each other. the -1 toughness then is a huge thing for 4d6 impact hits.
Why to use it:
I find myself often in fights where I think smiting will have a negilable effect, (like with a monster, or Necroknights), where I think a -1 to wound for my opponent and a +1 to wound for me is much better (not to mention my save gets better). Its also nice for archers having a +1 to wound.
Dessication is iprobably our second best spell. It has swung far more battles in my favour than smiting ever has. that's mostly because the effect of -1/-1 on enemies doesn't discriminate; when you cast smiting, charriots are happier than infantry, but with dessication EVERYBODY LAUGHS.
Dessication works offensively with shooting and combat, and also defensively as a deterrent. The opposing unit is not as likely to charge if their stats are subpar. Why don't use it:
See Ptra. if you plan to not using it, it's just for psycological reasons.
And NEVER use it on any unit that Stalkers are going to be targeting.
6) Sakhmet's Incantion of Skullstorm magical vortex spell Cast on a 15+/25+ Description: weak magical vortex, with small template of S4 power. Moves artillery dice times Wizard level in inches. Misfire centered on caster and moves randomly.
Powered Up: Large template!
This one probably has the dubious honor of being the Nehekharan Lore's most undesired and underappreciated spell. Whereas most other lores are absolutely thrilled to get their Big 6th, a Tomb Kings player is probably about 75% likely to trade this one for the Sig.
The odd thing is, it's our only damage dealing spell (other than the DT from Vengeance). This says something about TK players and our army, but I'm not sure what.
In any case, Sakhmet's Skullstorm is actually rather terrifying. It's Strength 4, meaning it can moiderize most basic infantry, and can travel a fair distance upon casting. And being a Magical Vortex, it can be cast into combat, allowing us about the only CC use for a non-Heirophant Priest.
Now, there've been a couple of 'non-standard' uses of this spell, which are what make it interesting
First, as it's a Vortex, it's RiP, and thus can be effected by the Kanopi. It's been suggested that this be used as a 'mana battery' of sorts, popping a Skullstorm early in some random direction and using it in a later magic phase when you need a couple extra PD. Easier and safer, I think, than needing Death magic for that (and along with the Casket and a Titan, a good way to get a 'surprise' spell of at the end of the phase, when the enemy has depleted their DD.)
A second use for it, one that stacks well with the first, is as something to help control the enemy movement. As a RiP spell, you can cast it in front of an enemy unit- a big block you don't want charging you, or that you want to charge instead- and chances are the enemy will either try to maneuver around or attempt to dispel it in their magic phase, or go through and brave it anyways- and this spell only deals more damage the further you pass through it. Any of these is a win for the TK player.
Third is the basic use. Kill stuff with it. In conjunction with Dessication, the Skullstorm is absolute terror to T3 6+ units- which is the grand majority in the game. This spell can easily decimate (or worse) things like Skaven Busses, Pike blocks, or even enemy skeletons.
By far the best thing about this spell, though, is it's basic cast cost- far cheaper than any other 6th spell. It's possible to cast on 2 dice, even with no Titan, and with a titan, you're usually going to get it off on 3. If you want to cast the Large Blast template size with it, though (which is terrifying) you'll need to be very lucky with 3 dice, or go 4 or 5 to have a better chance.
Why to use it:
Plenty of blocks (elves of all flavors, skaven of all flavors, skinks) will die far more easy to skullstorm than to purple sun. crab troops with T3 and low armor will die as easy (night gobos, skellie warriors without light armor), except when some magic resistance is confered.
Why don't use it:
There's a 1 in 6 chance it'll blow your own caster up, and a decent chance it'll then proceed to sweep through your own ranks.
With storm you really need to cast it with a high level guy to get it to work well, and since it uses lots of dice and carries two chances to harm the caster, that often means your hierophant is taking too much risk.