Cities of Sigmar – Pontifex Zenestra, Matriarch of the Great Wheel
5" 9 5+ 2 Pontifex Zenestra presides over the Cult of the Wheel, a religion that venerates the wheel as the symbol of progress and the passage of time. Its members believe that individuals must be crushed as grist beneath it for civilisation to rise anew and that sacrifice is necessary for Sigmar’s empire to prosper.
Legend has it that Zenestra’s power stems from the touch of Ghal Maraz, bestowed upon her in recognition of her victories. Yet some claim it has a darker source, for there has been at least one occasion on which an assassin’s bolt has passed right through the Matriarch. Stranger still, the eldest of the cities say that Zenestra was a great-grandmother when Sigmar’s Tempest broke, though that cannot possibly be true.
Despite these rumours, any who have seen Zenestra in battle know that she has the God-King’s protection. Her palanquin is so redolent with Azyrite energy that lightning crackles around it in a widening corona. Zenestra’s attendants never last too long in her service; each new pair is aged unto infirmity by even a month at the yoke. Nevertheless, as faithful throngs flock to her, there is never any shortage of pious replacements. | ||
| MELEE WEAPONS | Atk | Hit | Wnd | Rnd | Dmg | ||
| Sceptre of the Wheel | |||||||
| Sceptre of the Wheel | 3 | 4+ | 4+ | - | D3 | ||
| Acolytes’ Club and Axe | |||||||
| Acolytes’ Club and Axe | 4 | 4+ | 4+ | - | 1 | ||
BATTLE PROFILE
Unit Size: 1 Points: 240
Base size: 90 × 52mm
Can be reinforced: No
Regiment Options: Any HUMAN INFANTRY, Any HUMAN CAVALRY
 Passive |
VOICE OF THE GOD-KING: Zenestra is the mouthpiece of Sigmar himself upon the battlefield; with a simple utterance, she can banish the sorceries of the enemy.
Effect: This unit can use the ‘Unbind’ ability as if it had WIZARD (1).
| Your Hero Phase | 5 |
VESSEL OF SIGMAR: Channelling the divine might of the God-King, Pontifex Zenestra has the power to bless the very earth around her.
Declare: Make a chanting roll of D6.
Effect: Pick 1 of the following effects to apply until the start of your next turn. Pick up to 2 different effects instead if the chanting roll was 10+.
The Great Wheel Turns: Add 2" to the Move characteristic of friendly CITIES OF SIGMAR HUMAN units if they are wholly within 12" of this unit at the start of the move.
Hallowed Ground: Friendly CITIES OF SIGMAR HUMAN units have WARD (5+) while they are wholly within 12" of this unit.
Cast Out Evil: Roll a D3 for each enemy WIZARD and PRIEST on the battlefield. On a 2+, inflict an amount of mortal damage on that unit equal to the roll.
Effect: Pick 1 of the following effects to apply until the start of your next turn. Pick up to 2 different effects instead if the chanting roll was 10+.
The Great Wheel Turns: Add 2" to the Move characteristic of friendly CITIES OF SIGMAR HUMAN units if they are wholly within 12" of this unit at the start of the move.
Hallowed Ground: Friendly CITIES OF SIGMAR HUMAN units have WARD (5+) while they are wholly within 12" of this unit.
Cast Out Evil: Roll a D3 for each enemy WIZARD and PRIEST on the battlefield. On a 2+, inflict an amount of mortal damage on that unit equal to the roll.
| KEYWORDS | PRAYER |
KEYWORDS | UNIQUE, HERO, PRIEST (2), INFANTRY, WARD (4+) |
| ORDER, CITIES OF SIGMAR, HUMAN |
The INFANTRY keyword is used in the following Cities of Sigmar warscrolls:
The ORDER keyword is used in the following Cities of Sigmar warscrolls:
The CITIES OF SIGMAR keyword is used in the following Cities of Sigmar warscrolls:
Army List
Warscrolls collated18.1 Ward Saves
Units with the WARD keyword have the ‘Ward Save’ passive ability. The number after the WARD keyword indicates the ward value for the ward save. If a unit had WARD (5+), for example, its ward value would be 5. If a unit has more than one ward save, only the ward save with the lowest value applies to it; the other has no effect. Passive |
WARD SAVE: Whether through their uncanny reflexes, unnatural toughness or a source of mystical protection, these warriors can avoid otherwise lethal attacks.
Effect: In step 1 of the damage sequence (see 18.0), make a ward roll of D6 for each damage point in this unit’s damage pool. If the roll equals or exceeds this unit’s ward value, remove that damage point from the damage pool.
The CITIES OF SIGMAR and HUMAN keywords are used in the following Cities of Sigmar warscrolls:
17.2 Mortal Damage
Some abilities inflict mortal damage. If an ability inflicts mortal damage on a unit, add that number of damage points to the unit’s damage pool for that ability (see 18.2 Allocating Damage).
The HUMAN keyword is used in the following Cities of Sigmar warscrolls:
The HERO keyword is used in the following Cities of Sigmar warscrolls:
The HUMAN and INFANTRY keywords are used in the following Cities of Sigmar warscrolls:
1.0 Wizards and Priests
WIZARDS are special units that can cast spells, and PRIESTS are special units that can chant prayers. Spells and prayers are powerful abilities that can have a dramatic impact on the battle.
1.1 Power Level
Each WIZARD and PRIEST has a power level, shown in brackets after the keyword, e.g. WIZARD (2). A WIZARD or PRIEST’s power level determines the number of SPELL, PRAYER or BANISH abilities they can use per phase, in any combination. For example, a WIZARD (2) unit could use 1 SPELL and 1 BANISH ability in their commander’s hero phase.
3.0 Prayers
The declare step of each prayer will tell you to make a chanting roll of D6. On an unmodified chanting roll of 1, the prayer fails, its effect is not resolved and you must remove D3 ritual points from the PRIEST using the prayer.On a chanting roll of 2 or more, pick one of the following:
- Give a number of ritual points to the PRIEST equal to the chanting roll (ritual points can be accumulated over multiple turns).
- Add the PRIEST’s ritual points to the chanting roll. If the chanting roll equals or exceeds the prayer’s chanting value (at the top-right corner of the prayer), it is answered: resolve the effect of the prayer, then reset the PRIEST’s ritual points total to 0.
EXAMPLE PRAYER
 Once Per Battle, Your Hero Phase | 7 |
RESURRECTION: A fallen hero is brought back from death, their vitality fully restored.
Declare: Make a chanting roll of D6.
Effect: Pick a friendly INFANTRY HERO that has been slain and return them to the battlefield. Set up that HERO wholly within 3" of this PRIEST.
Effect: Pick a friendly INFANTRY HERO that has been slain and return them to the battlefield. Set up that HERO wholly within 3" of this PRIEST.
| KEYWORDS | PRAYER |
The PRIEST keyword is used in the following Cities of Sigmar warscrolls:
The UNIQUE keyword is used in the following Cities of Sigmar warscrolls:
The WARD keyword is used in the following Cities of Sigmar warscrolls:
The HUMAN and CAVALRY keywords are used in the following Cities of Sigmar warscrolls: