“Seemed-good-but-nope”
Warriors of Chaos Magic Items
The Old World
CAREFUL.
There are magical items in the book that seem very good but can really turn your list into shit. Here I’ll tell you which ones and why.
Better to find out now than mid-game when it’s too late, either realizing too late or letting your opponent misuse them without noticing.
Taskmaster’s Scourge
For only 25 points, if your unit passes a Leadership test, it gains an additional 1D3 inches of movement. Sounds good, especially combined with the Daemonology spell that lets you fly up to 10 inches, potentially giving huge mobility. But the reality is that this item limits your maximum movement characteristic to 10 inches, which kills this combo completely. Without the spell, adding just a D3 inches after passing a Leadership test—which you can’t even reroll due to the Mark of Chaos Undivided—is simply unreliable and weak.
Also, remember it only grants the movement bonus to infantry, so don’t let your opponent fool you by using it on cavalry units with Movement 7+1D3.
Pendant of Damnation
Another disappointment. For 30 points, the Pendant of Damnation grants one additional attack for every wound the bearer loses. Sounds good, especially combined with weapons causing multiple wounds or having high Strength. But the big issue here is that you can only equip it on infantry or cavalry characters, excluding the best combos with models that naturally have extra wounds from mounts: chariots, manticores, or Chaos Dragons. Paying 30 points for such limited options is completely unfeasible.
Grimoire of Ogvold
This item lets you automatically know all seven spells from a chosen magic lore. But the downside is clear: since spells aren’t generated normally, you can’t swap any of them for the signature spell of any of the Chaos gods. Remember, there’s another item costing only 15 points that allows you to know five spells—and cast all five of them.
Master of Mortals
For 25 points, it grants +1 Leadership to Barbarian units and Barbarian Horsemen within command range. Cheap and tempting, right? But it’s completely useless for an army of barbarians which, in our case, are called Wolves of the Sea. The problem is that Wolves of the Sea use Bersekers and Huscarls, who don’t benefit from this +1. Total garbage.
My biggest disappointment
30 points. It seems designed specifically for the Wolves of the Sea unit champion, granting Armor Piercing, additional Strength, and +1 to hit (only in challenges).
Yes, my friend, yes. I’m talking about the fabulous Chieftain’s Blade. The problem is that the champion can only carry magical items worth up to 25 points, not 30. Just for 5 points extra, we go from an indispensable item to absolute crap.
In the Warriors of Chaos Old World book, there are many items that are rubbish, but generally, they’re clearly rubbish, with no illusions or excitement involved. They’re garbage that smells from a distance. This is the post where I expose the rubbish disguised as treasure. Below, I’ll leave you the post showing the real gold hidden in the mud: the magical items that are truly worth it in Warriors of Chaos and how they really work.
🍺 Best Runes combinations in the game
🍺 Anvil of Doom | Options and How to Counter It
🍺 Dwarf Anti-Magic Options: Which Ones Actually Work?
If you think there’s an error in the post, feel free to reach out at theoldwarrior@theoldwarrior.com, and I’ll review it. Hope you enjoy ToW!