Beasts of Chaos
In the wildest corners of every realm, the Beasts of Chaos gather for war. They are anarchy given form, monstrous amalgams of animal and man intent on tearing down the wonders of civilisation and reducing the Mortal Realms to ruin. Birthed from the warping taint of Chaos and imbued with bestial fury, they stampede towards their foes in vast herds, leaving only horror and devastation in their wake.
This page contains all of the rules you need to field your Beasts of Chaos miniatures on the battlefields of the Mortal Realms, from a host of exciting allegiance abilities to a range of warscrolls and warscroll battalions. The rules are split into the following sections.
Books
| Book | Kind | Edition | Last update | |
 Beasts of Chaos | ||||
| Beasts of Chaos | Battletome | 3 | February 2024 | |
 Abraxia Spear of the Everchosen | ||||
| Abraxia Spear of the Everchosen | Supplement | 3 | May 2024 | |
| Battlescroll: Impending Vermindoom | ||||
| Battlescroll: Impending Vermindoom | Rulebook | 3 | April 2024 | |
| Regiments of Renown | ||||
| Regiments of Renown | Warscroll | 3 | February 2024 | |
 Dawnbringers Book I: Harbingers | ||||
| Dawnbringers Book I: Harbingers | Expansion | 3 | June 2023 | |
 Season of War: Thondia | ||||
| Season of War: Thondia | Expansion | 3 | January 2023 | |
 Warhammer Legends: Grand Alliance Chaos | ||||
| Warhammer Legends: Grand Alliance Chaos | Index | 3 | August 2021 | |
 Warhammer Legends: Monstrous Arcanum | ||||
| Warhammer Legends: Monstrous Arcanum | Expansion | 3 | August 2021 | |
Designers’ Commentary
Battletome: Beasts of Chaos
| Q: | Does the Aura of Insanity ability stack? For example, if 3 MORGHURITE CHAOS SPAWN were within 1" of the same enemy unit, would 3 be subtracted from that enemy unit’s Attacks characteristic? |
| A: | Yes. |
| Q: | Does the Beastherd Ambush ability give +1 to charge rolls if the unit is set up in the same turn with different abilities, e.g. with a Soulscream Bridge? |
| A: | Yes. |
| Q: | If I fail the roll for the Cockatrice’s Petrifying Gaze ability, can I roll again for the same unit with a different Cockatrice? |
| A: | No. |
| Q: | If I fail the roll for the Cockatrice’s Petrifying Gaze ability, is the enemy unit I picked still treated as ‘affected’ by the ability? |
| A: | Yes. |
| Q: | If I use the Doombull’s Slaughterer’s Call ability on a unit that made a run move or retreated in the same turn, can that unit still charge? |
| A: | Yes. |
| Q: | Can a Ghorgon pick the same enemy model with its Swallow Whole ability multiple times? |
| A: | Yes. |
| Q: | When a Beastlord is picked to fight for the first time in a phase, if I use the Call of Battle ability, can I pick a friendly BRAYHERD unit that is more than 3" from all enemy units to pile in? |
| A: | No. |
| Q: | What happens if my opponent can’t move a model that’s the target of Blood Taunt? |
| A: | The ability has no effect. |
| Q: | Can models move out of coherency from the effect of Blood Taunt? |
| A: | No. |
| Q: | Does the Tendrils of Atrophy spell increase the number of mortal wounds caused by the Bloodgreed ability? |
| A: | No. |
| Q: | Can I use the Inspired triumph on a friendly UNGOR RAIDERS unit that shoots using the Hidden Volley ability? |
| A: | Yes. |
| Q: | Do the Rituals of Ruin heroic actions have to be carried out at the start of your hero phase? |
| A: | Yes. |
Allies
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Battle Traits
Greatfrays
Each of the Greatfrays wages war in its own uniquely savage way.
You can pick 1 of the following subfactions for your army (core rules, 27.2.1). All BEASTS OF CHAOS units in your army gain the keyword of the subfaction you picked, and you can use the allegiance abilities for that subfaction. If a unit already has a different subfaction keyword on its warscroll, it cannot gain another one. This does not preclude you from including the unit in your army, but you cannot use the allegiance abilities for its subfaction.Beastherd Ambush
As the beasts close upon their foes, horn-blasts sound in every direction, signalling the launch of a deadly ambush.
During deployment, instead of setting up a BEASTS OF CHAOS unit on the battlefield, you can place it to one side and say that it is set up in ambush as a reserve unit. At the end of your first and second movement phases, you can set up any friendly reserve units that are in ambush on the battlefield, wholly within 9" of the battlefield edge and more than 9" from all enemy units. At the start of the third battle round, BEASTS OF CHAOS units that are still in reserve are destroyed. Add 1 to charge rolls for friendly BEASTS OF CHAOS units that are set up on the battlefield in the same turn.Designer’s Note: This battle trait allows you to deploy all of the units in your army as reserve units, unless noted otherwise in the battleplan being used.
Masters of the Wilderness
The wild lands of the Mortal Realms are the territory of the Beasts of Chaos, and they have dwelt in these places for longer than can be remembered.
In your hero phase, if the model picked to be your general is in reserve at the start of that phase, you receive 1 command point.Rituals of Ruin
The mightiest of the beastmen worship the power of primeval Chaos, slaughtering and devouring in order to be blessed with strength or to force their opponents into throes of primal savagery.
In your hero phase, you can carry out 1 of the heroic actions from the table below with each friendly BEASTS OF CHAOS HERO that is on the battlefield in addition to any other heroic actions you can carry out with those HEROES. If you do so, before resolving the effect of that heroic action, you must allocate D3 mortal wounds that cannot be negated to that HERO or to another friendly BEASTS OF CHAOS unit within 3" of that HERO. If those mortal wounds slay that HERO, the heroic action has no effect.In addition, in your hero phase, you can carry out 1 of the heroic actions from the table below with 1 friendly BEASTS OF CHAOS HERO that is in reserve. If you do so, before resolving the effect of that heroic action, you must allocate D3 mortal wounds that cannot be negated to that HERO. If those mortal wounds slay that HERO, the heroic action has no effect. If the heroic action instructs you to pick an enemy unit, you must also pick 1 point on the battlefield edge. That point is considered to be the HERO carrying out that heroic action for the purposes of measuring range and visibility. If the heroic action instructs you to pick a friendly unit, you must pick the HERO carrying out that heroic action.
The same heroic action from the table below cannot be carried out more than once per phase.
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Command Traits
Alphabeast InstinctsBEASTS OF CHAOS HERO only.
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Artefacts of Power
Anarchic RelicsBEASTS OF CHAOS HERO only.
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Spell Lores
Lore of the Twisted WildsBRAYHERD WIZARD (including Unique units) only.
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Lore of the Dark StormsTHUNDERSCORN WIZARD only.
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Greatfrays
AllherdThe Allherd is the most widespread and belligerent of all greatfrays, its numbers greater than all of its rivals combined. There is no realm bar Azyr that has not suffered under the brutal onslaughts of its beastherds, who have transformed vast tracts of land into bloodstained hunting grounds where they raid and slaughter at will. Bestial Might: Ferocious and formidable, the Allherd are the most numerous of all the greatfrays. Their teeming beastherds ensure that its raging stampedes continue to grow.At the end of the battleshock phase, you can return D3+3 slain models to each friendly ALLHERD GOR HERD, ALLHERD UNGORS and ALLHERD UNGOR RAIDERS unit on the battlefield. | ||
DarkwalkersThe mysterious Darkwalkers are apex ambushers, skulking along the hidden pathways that link the realms. Possessed of a cruel, predatory cunning, they prefer to surround their prey on all sides, cutting off any escape routes before pouncing from the shadows to butcher them wholesale. Shadowbeasts: None know the pathways of the Mortal Realms like the Darkwalkers. Disappearing into the shadows, they prowl unseen to outflank the enemy.At the end of your movement phase, you can pick 1 friendly DARKWALKERS GOR HERD, DARKWALKERS UNGORS or DARKWALKERS UNGOR RAIDERS unit that is wholly within 9" of the battlefield edge and say that it will slink into the shadows, if you do so, remove that unit from the battlefield and set it up again wholly within 9" of the battlefield edge and more than 9" from all enemy units. | ||
GavespawnTruly the most depraved of the greatfrays, the Gavespawn worship Chaos in its purest form and seek to return the realms to a primordial state of anarchy. To these insane creatures, the mutated and misshapen Chaos Spawn is a thing of sacred wonder. Gibbering Congregations: The Gavespawn assemble congregations of loathsome Morghurite Chaos Spawn that set upon the foe in a roiling tide of madness, tentacles and fanged maws.You can include Gibbering Congregations in your army. | ||
QuakefrayAncient destroyers risen once more to lay waste to civilisation, the Quakefray are led into battle by Cygor prophets whose bodies thrum with chaotic power. They will not cease their rampages until every last city, fortress and monument in the realms has been ground to dust beneath their hooves. Living Idols of Ruin: Quakefray Cygors act as inspiring icons to the lesser breeds of beastmen, and they can summon the power of Chaos to despoil the lands around them.Friendly QUAKEFRAY CYGOR units gain the PRIEST keyword. In addition, friendly QUAKEFRAY CYGOR PRIESTS know the following prayer in addition to any others that they know: Earthshatter: Channelling their pure, destructive fury, the Cygor causes the ground to tremble and split apart, opening great fissures that swallow their foes whole. Earthshatter is a prayer that has an answer value of 3 and a range of 12". If answered, pick 1 objective within range of the chanter. Each unit within 6" of that objective suffers D3 mortal wounds, and, until your next hero phase, when determining the number of models in units that are contesting that objective, that number must be halved (rounding down). This prayer has no effect on BEASTS OF CHAOS units. | ||
PATH TO GLORY
The following section includes rules for your Path to Glory campaign if you are using a Beasts of Chaos army.
Offerings for the Herdstone
Living sacrifices are continually fed into the fires that burn at each herdstone’s base. Some of these profane monoliths have been fed so much flesh over their long existence that their rock has been replaced with throbbing muscle and blood-filled veins.
Each time an enemy unit is destroyed by an attack made with a melee weapon by a friendly BEASTS OF CHAOS unit, you can say that your beastherd will attempt to gather offerings from the defeated foe to sacrifice at your herdstone.If you do so, roll a number of dice for that enemy unit as noted in the table below. Each of these rolls is called a gathering roll. For each 4+, an appropriate offering has been gathered from the destroyed unit and you receive 1 savagery point.
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Beacon of Ruin
As the fires of the herdstone blaze, abominations of all kinds emerge from the Chaos-twisted wilds, drawn by degenerate instinct to join the brutality.
During step 7 of the aftermath sequence, you can add new units to your order of battle using savagery points instead of glory points. Each unit you can add costs a number of savagery points as shown on the table below, and you can only add a unit if you have enough savagery points to pay its cost. Each time you spend a savagery point in this way, subtract 1 from your savagery points total.At the end of the aftermath sequence, your remaining offerings are brutally devoured by your beastherd and your savagery points are reduced to 0.
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Quests
When you pick a quest, you can pick from the following quests in addition to those in the Core Book.QUEST Baiting the TrapYour Ungor scouts have discovered an enemy force that seeks to destroy your herdstone and cripple your beastherd’s power. Perhaps, with a few probing raids, these fools can be lured into a rash assault and then surrounded and massacred. At the end of each Path to Glory battle, add 1 quest point to the progress section of your quest log for each terrain feature in enemy territory that you control.Once you have gained 6 or more quest points, you can fight Path to Glory battles using the ‘Ruinous Ambush’ battleplan. If you win a major victory when using that battleplan, you complete this quest. The rewards of completing this quest are listed in the battleplan. | ||
QUEST Savage BoonsOnly through relentless acts of slaughter and desecration can lesser gor-kin gain the blessings of Chaos and thereby earn a taste of true power. At the end of a Path to Glory battle, you complete this quest if you won a major victory.When you complete this quest, in the next Path to Glory battle you fight against an opponent who is using a Path to Glory army, before deployment, you can give each friendly UNGORS and UNGOR RAIDERS unit 1 veteran ability that can only be used in that battle. | ||
QUEST Bestial SupremacyWith every battle they fight, the Beasts of Chaos become stronger and more ferocious. When they prove their monstrous might in the eyes of Chaos, the rewards are great indeed. At the end of a Path to Glory battle, you complete this quest if you won a major victory and there were at least 3 friendly BEASTS OF CHAOS units on the battlefield at the end of the battle.When you complete this quest, increase your savagery points by 1 for each friendly BEASTS OF CHAOS unit on the battlefield at the end of the battle. | ||
QUEST Wholesale SlaughterNothing empowers a beastherd more than a terrible massacre, an orgy of slaughter so unrestrained that the herdstone’s firepit is choked with butchered corpses. At the end of a Path to Glory battle, you complete this quest if you won a major victory and your savagery points total is 12 or more.When you complete this quest, in the next Path to Glory battle you fight against an opponent who is using a Path to Glory army, at the end of your first movement phase, you can summon 1 unit from the Beacon of Ruin table and add it to your army. That unit must be set up wholly within 9" of the battlefield edge and more than 9" from all enemy units. | ||
Veteran
Each time a BEASTS OF CHAOS unit on your Path to Glory roster gains a veteran ability, you can pick from the following veteran abilities in addition to those in the Core Book.
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Territories
When making an exploration roll, if the roll is 61-66, that roll will correspond to a territory on the table below. Alternatively, you can pick 1 result from the Territories table in the Core Book that corresponds to a roll of 21-42.
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Battleplan Ruinous AmbushAs a beast herd carves a swathe of bloody slaughter across the land, their enemies swiftly raise forces to oppose them. These armies are often tasked with locating and destroying the heart of the invaders’ malign power: their herdstone. The Beasts of Chaos are all too aware of this; indeed, they delight in luring such forces into deadly ambushes. Harried on every flank and led astray at every twist and turn, the desperate warriors pay in blood for each step they take into the beastmen’s territory. When at last they come before the herdstone, the survivors soon find themselves surrounded on all sides by braying Beasts of Chaos, eager for blood... QUEST BATTLEPLAN This battleplan is used with the Path to Glory battlepack in the Core Book. You can use this battleplan if one player is using a Beasts of Chaos army, has embarked on the ‘Baiting the Trap’ quest and has earned 6 or more quest points.THE ARMIES The player on the ‘Baiting the Trap’ quest is the Beasts of Chaos player and their opponent is the invader. The Beasts of Chaos player must use a Beasts of Chaos army.THE BATTLEFIELD This battle is fought in the tangled wilds at the heart of your beastherd’s domain, and appropriate terrain features should be used to represent this. The Beasts of Chaos player sets up the battlefield’s terrain features and must set up a Herdstone faction terrain feature in the centre of the battlefield.FACTION TERRAIN Only the Beasts of Chaos player sets up a faction terrain feature.DEPLOYMENT The invader sets up their army first, wholly within their territory. Before setting up each unit in their army, the invader must roil a dice. On a 1-3, the unit is lost in the wilds and is not set up on the battlefield. Instead, the unit is set up in reserve and will arrive as described later. If the invader has any other abilities that allow units to be set up in reserve, these abilities cannot be used.Then, the Beasts of Chaos player sets up their army. All of their units must be set up in ambush as reserve units (see the Beastherd Ambush battle trait). FIRST TURN The invader takes the first turn in the first battle round.CLOYING MISTS In this battle, shooting attacks cannot be made unless the attacking model is within 9" of the target. In addition, subtract 2 from charge rolls for units that attempt a charge while they are more than 9" from all enemy units.LOST IN THE WILDS At the end of their movement phase, the invader can roll a dice for each of their reserve units. On a 3+, that unit can be set up on the battlefield wholly within the invader’s territory and more than 9" from all enemy units.DESTROY THE HERDSTONE Units in the invader’s army treat the herdstone as an enemy model and can attack it with melee weapons (it is not affected by spells or abilities except for those that affect terrain features). That Herdstone is considered to have a Wounds characteristic of 12 and a Save characteristic of 3+. The Herdstone is destroyed when 12 wounds have been allocated to it.BATTLE LENGTH The battle lasts for 5 battle rounds or until the Herdstone is destroyed.GLORIOUS VICTORY If the Herdstone is destroyed, the invader wins a major victory.If the Herdstone has fewer than 6 wounds allocated to it at the end of the battle, the Beasts of Chaos player wins a major victory. If neither player has won a major victory, the invader rolls a dice and adds the number of wounds allocated to the Herdstone to the roll:
PATH TO GLORY REWARDS If the Beasts of Chaos player wins a major victory, they complete the ‘Baiting the Trap’ quest, gain 10 glory points and can make 2 exploration rolls in step 6 of the aftermath sequence of the battle instead of 1. | ||
Battleplan Death to CivilisationEvery beastman carries in their dark heart an ever-burning hatred for city-dwellers and their walled strongholds. There is no greater thrill for the Beasts of Chaos than to see such strongholds burn. PATH TO GLORY BATTLEPLAN This battleplan is used with the Path to Glory battlepack in the Core Book. You can use this battleplan if one player is using a Beasts of Chaos army.THE ARMIES One player is the Beasts of Chaos player and their opponent is the defender. The Beasts of Chaos player must use a Beasts of Chaos army.After they have picked their army, the Beasts of Chaos player can pick 1 friendly WIZARD to know the Aura of the Anarchic Wilds spell (see later) in addition to the other spells they know. THE BATTLEFIELD This battle is fought in an enemy strongpoint, and appropriate terrain features should be used to represent this. The defender chooses which long edge of the battlefield is the northern edge and then sets up the battlefield’s terrain features. At least 8 terrain features must be set up: at least 4 wholly within the eastern half and at least 4 wholly within the western half.The defender then chooses which half of the battlefield will be their territory. The terrain features in that half represent the locations that the defender is trying to protect from the beastherd. DEPLOYMENT The Beasts of Chaos player sets up their army first. All of their units must be set up in ambush as reserve units (see the Beastherd Ambush battle trait).Then, the defender sets up their army, wholly within their territory and more than 9" from enemy territory. FIRST TURN The Beasts of Chaos player takes the first turn in the first battle round.DEFIANT DEFENDERS At the start of their hero phase, the defender can pick up to 3 friendly units wholly within 18" of their general. Until their next hero phase, those units cannot run, retreat or attempt a charge, but the defender can add 1 to hit rolls for attacks made by those units and add 1 to save rolls for attacks that target those units.DEATH TO CIVILISATION At the start of their hero phase, the Beasts of Chaos player can pick 1 terrain feature wholly within the defender’s territory and within 3" of a friendly unit, and they can attempt to desecrate it. If they do so, each player rolls a dice and adds the number of friendly models they have within 3" of that terrain feature to the roll. If the Beasts of Chaos player has the higher total, that terrain feature is desecrated.AURA OF THE ANARCHIC WILDS A site defiled by the beastherd is imbued with profane power by the shaman, creating the foundations of a new herdstone.Aura of the Anarchic Wilds is a spell that has a casting value of 6 and a range of 3". If successfully cast, pick 1 terrain feature within range and visible to the caster that has been desecrated. That terrain feature gains the Entropic Lodestone scenery rule (see Herdstone warscroll). BATTLE LENGTH The battle lasts for 5 battle rounds or until one player wins a major victory.GLORIOUS VICTORY The Beasts of Chaos player wins a major victory if all of the terrain features wholly within the defender’s territory have been desecrated.The defender wins a major victory if every unit in the Beasts of Chaos player’s army has been destroyed. If neither player has won a major victory by the end of the fifth battle round, the Beasts of Chaos player wins a minor victory if at least half of the terrain features wholly within the defender’s territory have been desecrated, and the defender wins a minor victory if fewer than half of the terrain features wholly within their territory have been desecrated. PATH TO GLORY REWARDS If the Beasts of Chaos player wins the battle, in step 7 of the aftermath sequence, they can add 1 additional new unit to their order of battle. | ||
MATCHED PLAY
If the battlepack you are using says that you must pick grand strategies and battle tactics for your army, you can pick from the following lists as well as those found in the battlepack you are using.
Grand Strategies
After you have picked your army, you can pick 1 of the grand strategies from the list below and record it on your army roster.THE WAY OF THE BEAST Beasts of Chaos army only.
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Battle Tactics
At the start of your hero phase, you can pick 1 battle tactic from the list below. You must reveal your choice to your opponent, and if your battle tactic instructs you to pick something, you must tell your opponent what you pick. You have until the end of that turn to complete the battle tactic. You cannot pick the same battle tactic more than once per battle.HUNTERS OF THE WARPING WILDS Beasts of Chaos army only.
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| You do not have to pick a target for a charge attempt before making the charge roll. | ||
The BRAYHERD keyword is used in the following Beasts of Chaos warscrolls:
When you set up a reserve unit, either during deployment or once the battle is underway, you must tell your opponent that the unit is in reserve and keep it to one side instead of placing it on the battlefield. At the start of the fourth battle round, units that are still in reserve are destroyed. Units cannot cast spells or use abilities while they are in reserve unless the spell or ability specifically says it can be used by reserve units.
| Reserve units are picked as part of your army before the battle begins, while summoned units are units added to your army once the battle is underway. Models that have been removed from play can be used as part of a summoned unit. | ||
| Units that are set up in a location other than on the battlefield, for example, reserve units (see 3.1), are always considered to be set up in a coherent group. | ||
Tendrils of Atrophy
Deadly coils of untamed Chaos energy wrap around the caster’s enemies, rotting flesh and corroding armour.Tendrils of Atrophy is a spell that has a casting value of 7 and a range of 12". If successfully cast, pick 1 enemy unit within range and visible to the caster. Add 1 to the damage inflicted by each successful attack made with a melee weapon that targets that unit until your next hero phase.
Mortal wounds caused while a unit is attacking are allocated at the same time as wounds caused by the unit’s attacks: after all of the unit’s attacks have been made. Mortal wounds caused at other times are allocated as soon as they are caused. Mortal wounds are allocated in the same way as wounds and are treated in the same manner as wounds for rules purposes.
Once per battle, after you pick a friendly unit to shoot or fight, you can say that it is inspired. If you do so, add 1 to wound rolls for attacks made by that unit until the end of that phase.
The BEASTS OF CHAOS keyword is used in the following Beasts of Chaos warscrolls:
The BEASTS OF CHAOS and HERO keywords are used in the following Beasts of Chaos warscrolls:
| If a slain model is returned to its unit in the same turn that it is slain, it still counts as having been slain in that battle round for the purposes of battleshock tests. | ||
The BEASTS OF CHAOS and BRAYHERD keywords are used in the following Beasts of Chaos warscrolls:
- Unit champions can issue commands to their own unit (see 22.3.2).
- HEROES can issue commands to units that are wholly within 12" of them.
- Generals can issue commands to units that are wholly within 18" of them.
- TOTEMS can issue commands to units that are wholly within 18" of them.
The BRAYHERD and WIZARD keywords are used in the following Beasts of Chaos warscrolls:
Sometimes an ability will allow a single hit roll to score two or more hits. If this is the case, make all of the wound and save rolls for those hits at the same time.
Designer’s Note: Save rolls do not always succeed on an unmodified roll of 6, and they can be modified by more than -1.
The BEASTS OF CHAOS and MONSTER keywords are used in the following Beasts of Chaos warscrolls:
The THUNDERSCORN keyword is used in the following Beasts of Chaos warscrolls:
The WIZARD keyword is used in the following Beasts of Chaos warscrolls:
The WARHERD keyword is used in the following Beasts of Chaos warscrolls: