This is the page for all things to do with Malign Sorcery, the new and more aggressive approach to magic for Age of Sigmar Second Edition.
Check out my Age of Sigmar Second Edition page for news on the new edition as it breaks. I also now have a Matched Play Preview Video covering what you need to know about Malign Sorcery.
If you are after something more ghostly, check out the companion Nighthaunt page, or if something more golden, check out the Sacrosanct Chamber page.
Malign Sorcery – Age of Sigmar
Magic now has a greater and more permanent effect on your games of Age of Sigmar. Expect old favourites from the Storm of Magic expansion from Warhammer Fantasy Battles to reappear – think Purple Sun and more!
“You may have cast a Purple Sun before, but never like this – get ready for roaming, predatory spells, fantastical enchantments and summoned sorceries that aren’t just words on a warscroll but active (and very deadly) participants in your games.”
Control of predatory spells might get taken over by your opponent. So beware.
What is in the Malign Sorcery box?
Inside the Malign Sorcery box, you’ll find the full Malign Sorcery supplement – your guide to magic in the Mortal Realms. This book takes a closer look at magical lore in the Age of Sigmar, and the arcane materials that accumulate in each realm, such as Aetherquartz and Cyclestone. There are pages of spectacular new art and background depicting the unbound living magic rampant across each of the realms. You’ll even find painting guides for many of the endless spells, to help you get them ready for your own games.
The Malign Sorcery box also contains:
- 13 push-fit spell models in coloured plastic with new-format warscroll cards
- an 88 page hardback book which recounts the events that led to the Shyish Necroquake and its consequences.
- Skirmish on the Realm’s Edge rules for fighting batteles with a small number of models in unstable landscapes as they hunt and bind wild spells for coin and renown. These rules can expand to Path to Glory.
- the rules for 84 magical artefacts of the realms – see my artefacts page for more details.
- a set of Pitched Battle Profiles for the spells
- two Malign Sorcery matched play battleplans
Endless Spells
So here is what we know about the 13 Endless Spells now.
- Endless Spells can be either:
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- predatory spells that indiscriminately roam around the battlefield and attacking what they move over; or
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- for instance, Purple Sun, Ravenak’s Gnashing Jaws and Burning Head.
- “utility” spells that give cover, allow you to heal units or may benefit your whole army.
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- for instance, the Prismatic Pallisade crystal wall in the picture below which creates a wall that you cannot shoot through.
- Be careful, your opponent might take control of your predatory Endless Spell and send it back at you.
- Endless Spells are a consequence of Nagash’s work in Shyish during Malign Portents.
- Endless Spells are cast like normal spells but stay on the tabletop and are depicted with a model.
- Endless Spells cost points to cast – 20-40 points a spell.
- If the spell is not unbound, then the Endless Spell can be unbound in later turns if a wizard gives up its usual spell in order to try and remove the Endless Spell.
- Endless Spells interact with the battleround priority
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- “Endless spells are moved at the start of each battle round after determining who gets the first turn, with players taking it in turns to pick a spell to move, starting with the player that has the second turn that round. You’ll be able to move any Endless Spell with this move, not just the ones you control, representing their wild and untameable nature. Summon a Suffocating Gravetide and you might find yourself needing to volunteer to take the second turn in a round to stop your opponent from sending it crashing into your own units! Suddenly, always shooting for a double turn can become a very dangerous prospect indeed…“
- Endless Spells also interact with the realm that the battle is played in – for instance Burning Head is better in Aqshy and the Aethervoid Pendulum is better in Ulgu.
- The Balewind Vortex has been completely overhauled.
- There are 13 Endless Spells sold in one box.
- We have seen the warscrolls for two endless spells – Purple Sun and Umbral Spellportal
Shyish – Realm of Death
- Purple Sun of Shyish
- Suffocating Gravetide
Ulgu – Realm of Shadow
Also Aethervoid Pendulum – which always moves in a straight line and dishes out mortal wounds.
Geminids of Uhl-Gysh
A two-part sell that deals mortal wounds and de-buffs targets.
Ghur – Realm of Beasts
Ghyran – Realm of Life
- Emerald Lifeswarm as new endless spell created from the energies of corrupted life – heals your own forces.
Chamon – Realm of Metal
- New Endless Spell, Chronomantic Cogs
Realm Unknown So Far – Quicksilver Swords
Magic: new Magic Lores for the Realms
Instead, there is now a whole Lore of Magic’s worth of spells for almost every realm (7 spells for each of 7 realms), “depending on where your battle is taking place“. It has always been part of the core rules that you select a realm for the battle to take place in before every game, but we don’t often see that in matched play. It will be interesting to see the matched play reception to this spells, especially given the (on paper and highly preliminary) strength of the spell previewed – Banishment. Just imagine picking up a key enemy unit and moving it within range of your key combat unit or throwing it into the corner of a board so it can’t secure an objective or support your enemy’s forces.
Hyish – Realm of Light
Chamon: Curse of Rust
I hope we see the return of the great Warhammer Magic Cards set. The art on the back alone were enough to keep my copies.
