Forces of the Abyss – Tactica Demonica
Prologue
This unholy beast of an article came about from two simple facts – I’m building a Forces of the Abyss army this year, and I unfortunately have very few opportunities to actually play Kings of War.
The second point has made it a challenge to build an Abyssal list to aim for, so I thought I’d do the next best thing – go through the army rules with a fine-tooth comb and write more than 2500 words about it. ![]()
I don’t profess to be an expert on Abyssals or even Kings of War, so don’t expect a treatise on the level of Sun Tsu’s Art of War! And please, please tell me where you disagree or think I’m wrong – it’s currently the only way I’ll learn!
Anyway, onto the meat and potatoes…
Command Orders
Burn the Sinners
There’s no unit restriction for this, so you could put it on anything from Imps to the Well of Souls. Even the odd isolated Fireball is handy for softening up units before melee, but the fact that it adds Shattering combines especially well with an existing base of Flame Bearers. So long as you’ve got a non-Flame Bearer unit to give it to.
Unholy Shield
A bit of a dud, unfortunately. Improving resilience to shooting for Upper Circle units is already a niche order, but with 5+ to succeed you can’t even rely on it to work when you want it to. Useful if you’re facing a lot of shooting, especially for protecting the more obvious targets, like Tortured Souls or a Chroneas. But it’s not something to build an army around.
Core and Auxiliary
Lower Abyssals
Goblins with Regenerate. Regiments are your cheapest unlock, but Hordes have value as a big block of chaff to protect your heavy hitters until they engage. Either way, don’t expect them to do much damage. Even giving them two-handed weapons grants a minimal improvement in killing power. Regenerating after a Withdraw to keep them useful seems especially good.
A Horde will also be VERY hard to put down without a decent combat unit, so they might be handy for guarding isolated objectives. As a front line unit to absorb initial charges, it might be worth adding a Crystal Pendant of Retribution. The resulting damage on whatever unit/s wipe them out will soften them up for your hard hitters!
Troops could potentially function as an alternative to Imps for expendable chaff… if you don’t need the Ht 1 of the Imps and are willing to pay 10pts for the questionable increase in survival. In other words, just take the Imps
Succubi
Succubi are in the interesting position of being able to function as both a hammer and an anvil, depending on how you equip and use them.
As a hammer unit, they have the Me 3+ and a high attack volume. But without any Crushing Strength they REALLY need some support in the form of a magic item (Hammer of Measured Force?) or Bane Chant. Do that, and they’ll put out some pretty good damage for their cost.
The Succubi can be very effective as an anvil-type unit for absorbing charges, thanks to its high Nerve (for a regiment) combined with Stealthy and Ensnare. Just try to keep them in cover. Hitting on -1 from Ensnare isn’t enough to reliably stop a horde of elite infantry from wiping the Succubi, but making them hit at -2 from a hindered charge is.
Flame Bearers
Shoot 5+ and Piercing (1) make this a seriously capable shooting unit. A pack of 2-3 units should do a great job of softening up enemy units, both to break up your opponent’s battle line and allow your combat blocks to finish them off.
You’ll probably want Regiments, both for the unlock (Troops are Aux) and the improved resilience against opposing shooters. Don’t expect them to last in melee… but if they do happen to survive a charge, it’s usually worth trying a Withdraw. That way you can pull back, maybe save your Flamebearers and get another round of shooting on the offending attackers (remember Withdrawing doesn’t prevent shooting, just as long as you’re not withdrawing through a friendly unit).
Hellhounds
Your first and cheapest option for a fast flanker who can deal some respectable damage. Nimble allows them to both avoid cover and navigate around other units for the odd sneaky flank charge. They won’t win a head-on fight, but they’re there fast and maneuverable enough to threaten flanks and give your opponent a headache.
Troops are a bit questionable. As an Auxiliary unit they won’t unlock, and you lose half of their melee punch. They might still work as a flanking threat but otherwise, it might be better to take the more maneuverable Gargoyles.
Imps
The cheapest of cheap chaff. Keep them away from any shooting and they’ll do their job as a speed bump to slow down enemy units before your big guys come in. Height 1 means other infantry can see over them. This better allows for multi-charges and more importantly, lets your Flame Bearers shoot past them.
Gargoyles
Dies to a stiff breeze, but there’s no faster chaff unit. They’re just expensive enough that you won’t want to throw them away until absolutely necessary. The new shooting rules mean they’re much harder to wipe out at range, especially with their Regenerate. But even minimal shooting can cause a Waver. So keep them safe until they’re needed, avoid shooting unless you have to and don’t expect them to survive melee!
IMO their biggest negative is that an extra 30 points gives you a troop of Tortured Souls, which is slower and takes up a Specialist slot, but better in every other way. Something to think about.
Specialist
All three Specialist units in the Abyssal list occupy the same broad niche – fast and elite. So for this section I’ll be talking about them relative to each other.
Abyssal Horsemen
Fearless and Regeneration makes them almost impossible to stop via shooting. With Thunderous Charge (3) they’ll hit like a truck on the charge, but can’t keep dealing damage in protracted engagements. So you either make sure they kill what they hit (usually with supporting units), or you look at Withdrawing in subsequent rounds to finish them off later.
Combining the Withdrawal with a Burn the Sinners command has a lot of potential here, especially if you can use it to waver the unit you just pulled back from.
Berserkers
Not as tough, fast or damaging as the similarly costed Abyssal Horseman, and without Fearless they’re much more vulnerable to shooting. But with Crushing Strength instead of Thunderous Charge they’ll stay effective in subsequent rounds of combat. As non-flying large infantry they’re not completely neutered by Phalanx or a hindered charge either.
Under ideal circumstances I’d say the Horsemen are outright better… but Berserkers will prove more effective if you don’t get those ideal conditions.
Berserkers are a pretty good choice for investing in magic items and adding Elite or Vicious is always welcome. But in particular the Brews of either Strength or Sharpness, while costly, will both give them a significant boost in killing power.
Resist the temptation to compare Berserkers to the equally costed Molochs. On the face of it Molochs are flat-out better, but their roles are very different. While Molochs are a unit you put on the main battle line with other infantry, Berserkers are designed as fast flankers. They’re functionally more similar to the Horsemen or Tortured Souls, albeit much better at grinding out opposing units in a protracted combat.
Tortured Souls
Tortured Souls are overall less resilient and less damaging than the Horsemen and Berserkers. But Fly gives them the edge in maneuverability and Fearless means no risk of Wavering from ranged attacks. And importantly, their lower cost is a benefit in itself.
While the Horsemen and Berserkers can engage enemy units head on, Tortured Souls just don’t have the killing power to reliably fill the role of a hammer. They’re instead much better suited to either threatening flanks, picking on weak units or supporting a much more dangerous unit in combat.
Troops are also cheap enough to use as chaff – a role in which they’re very well suited, thanks to Fearless.
Support
Molochs
The premium face beaters for Abyssals. Excellent damage output for their cost and with Regenerate they’ve got the potential to shrug off shooting and grind through enemy units over multiple combats. They’re only De 4+, so they’re vulnerable to getting taken off the table by a multi-charge. Best to use them as a second line unit to clean up whatever runs into your chaff.
Nagarri
With Rallying and Sp 7, these seem like a unit built to support your fast Specialists. Good damage output for their cost and being a chariot removes any weakness to the Phalanx and Rampage rules. Hindered charges will blunt their damage output a little, but not nearly as much as Abyssal Horsemen. That’s fortunate, given how huge their footprint is. With De 4 and no Regeneration they’re not very resilient. Combined with that large base size, you can expect them to be an easy target for your opponent.
Chroneas
The best “Giant” type monster in the list. Strider, Cloak of Death and the ability to heal other units make him great for supporting your main blocks of Infantry in combat, though he can’t heal the one unit you’d care about most – Molochs. The small 50mm base is another nice bonus, making potential flank charges that much easier.
Fiend
The cheaper cousin of the Chroneas. For 30 pts less you get a Titan who can’t heal, is less damaging and slightly less resilient. However the Fireball (5) and Rallying for your Upper Circle units gives him a role in supporting your main battle line or (thanks to Sp7) your faster Tortured Souls and Abyssal Horsemen.
I think the Fiend is a perfectly fine unit to support any part of your army that consists of Lower Circle units. But if you can find 30 pts and he’s only keeping up with Sp 5-6 infantry, the Chroneas is the better option.
The Well of Souls
This is a unit I just know I’m going to squander at the first opportunity. Flying monsters like this can be so powerful, but deriving enough value out of them to justify their high cost is tricky.
Being able to transfer wounds off other units is a hugely powerful effect though, especially since the Well is so much harder to remove from range thanks to the 4th ed shooting rules and its Fearless rule.
Ideally then, you want to use the Well in close support with your other units – transferring wounds off to keep units in the fight and using its mobility to pull off flank charges. If you can keep the Well of Souls focused on doing that, then it should be well worth its cost.
Champion
Despoiler
The melee Champion. He’ll do some decent damage in combat and can threaten the flanks of an unwary opponent. Regenerate can help him shrug off shooting and keep fighting, but with De 4+ he’s still going to fall to a decent counter-attack. Basically, anything that can take out a basic Shield Wall regiment will do exactly the same to a Despoiler.
In short, you need to be careful about when you choose to engage with a Despoiler. Avoid charging him out alone and wait for combats you expect to win, or when your opponent is more likely to focus on a much bigger threat (like Molochs).
Warlock
With Inspiring and access to Spells AND Commands, Spellcasters tend to be some of the best Champions available in each army thanks to the excellent utility they offer. Unfortunately, the Warlock really tests that convention.
Abyssal Warlocks are most expensive spellcasters in the game, only being exceeded by Warlord-level Casters, unique characters and powerful specialists like the Banshee. The Ogre Warlock is only slightly cheaper at -10 pts, but everyone else is about 50 pts cheaper for a bog standard Inspiring Individual with access to spells.
So what do you get for those extra 50 points? A moderately useful Firebolt, Regeneration and a Large Infantry body who can flank charge and see over other infantry. There’s no doubt all of these benefits are useful, but only barely. In particular, the Firebolt is wasted if you want to cast another spell, and he’s really NOT deadly enough in melee to be worth risking on a flank charge. Put simply, we have an overcosted spellcaster with some niche extra benefits.
So after all that, is the Warlock worth considering? Unfortunately, yes. You at least get some improved resilience for his cost, and the spells he can access are just too good to ignore. Scorched Earth, Barkskin, Bane Chant, Drain Life and Blood Boil, among others, are all worth investing in.
I think the cheapest way to effectively run him is to just take one combat-friendly spell (e. Bane Chant, Drain Life or Barkskin), and then stick with his Firebolts for range. Adding another powerful ranged option like Scorched Earth is worth considering, but keep in mind that your Warlock can easily hit 180 points if you do.
Harbinger
A cheap source of Very Inspiring and Commands, but little else. A spell-granting artifact like Shroud of the Saint gives them some extra utility if you can spare the points, but otherwise they’re mostly there as the cheapest way to spread out the Inspiring.
Efreet
Shooting from a single Efreet is roughly equivalent to a regiment of Flamer Bearers. The Firepower they add is great for supporting those Flame Bearers, and their mobility can help them stay safe throughout the game, all the while throwing out those Fireballs each turn.
No Inspiring is a big problem though, since you really want at least three Inspiring sources in any game of at least 2000pts. So that Efreet will either need an Inspiring Talisman, or be taken as your 4th Champion.
The Bloody Cardinal
Functionally almost identical to the Despoiler. Dread is much better than the Despoilers Brutal, but the Despoiler is slightly better in combat thanks to Vicious. The Despoiler is also faster, Regenerate beats out Lifeleech vs shooting and he has the opportunity to take a magic item. Besides that, the cheaper cost makes the Bloody Cardinal a marginally better choice.
Warlord
Seductress
The Seductress is your cheapest option for a Flying Hero to Inspire and fight with your fast units, as well as put some US 2 anywhere on the board for scenario play. Adding Wind Blast or Enthrall could be fun, but in general I wouldn’t bother. If you’re taking a Seductress over the other Flying Warlords below, it’s because she’s the cheapest.
That said, there’s a few 5 pt magic items that would do well on a Seductress. Chief among these are the Dark Lord’s Onyx Ring to very cheaply boost her resilience, and the Ej Periscope to see over enemy units and threaten enemy heroes.
Abyssal Warlord
The cheapest Warlord available, and also the only one who can’t fly! If the Abyssals had enough good Commands to make use of every turn, then the Warlord would be worth considering. But as it stands, you’re better off either downgrading to a Despoiler or Cardinal, or upgrading to a Flying Warlord.
Archfiend
The “Dragon” Hero – fast, expensive, tough and very dangerous if you can hit a flank. Iron Resolve and Regenerate 5+ in particular is just ridiculous on a unit like this. Still, the Archfiend can be hard to get enough value from to justify their cost. If they can’t roll a flank, or are delayed for multiple turns in a standoff with enemy units, then your huge points sink is going to be wasted. Other, better players than me can probably make good use of them, so maybe talk to one of those!
Lord of Lies
Almost identical to the Archfiend, except with Slayer (3) and his Seeds of Distrust rule to turn off enemy Commands. That’s arguably worth the extra 30 pts so if you’re going to splurge on a “Dragon”, it’s easy to justify upgrading to a Lord of Lies.
Ba’su’su the Vile
Fast, capable in combat and with good resilience thanks to the combination of Regenerate, a high Defense and decent Nerve. He won’t do much on his own, but pair him up with some other fast units and you can cause all sorts of trouble. Short of splurging on an Archfiend or Lord of Lies, this is one of the “premium” Flying Warlords available.
Mau’ti-Bu-Su
The other “premium” flying Warlord. Honestly there’s not much separating Mau’ti-bu-su and Ba’su’su. Mauti’s Brutal D3 accounts for her reduced damage output and her lack of Regeneration is balanced out by Ensnare and Stealthy. They’re almost the same cost, so which one you prefer is really a matter of personal choice.