AoS: Top 3 Commanders – Death
The generals of Death might be maccabre masters of the mortarch, but that doesn’t mean there’s not a lot of variety in them. Here are my favorite Death generals.
Now that I’ve covered my favorite commanders from Chaos and Order, it’s time to wander our way down to the ol’ graveyard and look at the armies of Shyish. The forces of Death have a ton of awesome unique commanders, and it was hard to narrow it down to just three faves. However, some of them stood out above the others, so here’s my three top Death commanders, based on both their rules and story.
Katakros
Perhaps Nagash’s most prized creation, Orpheon Katakros is an absolute unit on the battlefield, both for support and damage. He has an insane number of wounds, a high armor save, regeneration abilities, and a weight of attacks that would make a Slaughter Queen blush. Unlike most heroes, he doesn’t get less dangerous as he loses wounds, just loses some of his support abilities, but as his retainers die, Katakros himself puts himself more into the battle itself. He is perhaps at his most dangerous at 8-12 wounds inflicted, when he is still able to utilize the 6 attacks from his Liege-Immortis’s dueling blades while also getting 3 attacks with his massive glaive. He is also an extraordinary support commander model, increasing the armor save of all Mortis Praetorians wholly within 18” and giving all Ossiarchs within the aura a +1 to hit. His retainers also allow him to rob your opponent of their command points on a 4+ or sabotage their hit rolls against your Ossiarch forces. What’s more, while his flagbearer is still alive, his aura extends out to 36”, which with good positioning is almost the entire table. His story is pretty awesome too, stating that in life, Katakros was one of the finest tacticians and commanders of Ghur, and upon his death at the hands of a Ghorgon, of the undead legions of Shyish. It wasn’t long before he joined up with Nagash, and then promptly got himself locked in a Stormvault. He was released during the battle of Lethis, and given a shiny new body, some rad weapons and armor, and the generalship of the greatest force Death has ever produced. Now, he leads the forces of the Ossiarch Bonereapers as the Mortarch of the Necropolis, and has won several victories thought impossible before his return, like the conquering of an arm of the Eightpoints. Whatever devious plan he has next, I’m excited to see his story unfold.
Arkhan the Black
Nagash’s right hand man from the very beginning, Arkhan the Black is Death’s most loyal lieutenant, and the greatest Necromancer of the Realms besides the God of Death himself. On the tabletop, he can throw out an impressive volume of spells, and since he has recently been inducted into the Ossiarch Bonereapers, he can buff the already unbreakable force to new heights of ridiculousness. His signature spell, though heavily nerfed in the current incarnation, still has the potential to ruin an entire regiment singlehandedly. His enchanted staff lets him buff all of his spells, so he is a great candidate for one of the Soulbound Endless Spells from the Ossiarch book, since he’ll still be getting cast bonuses even with the -1 penalty. He can also heal units wholly within 24”, himself included in an Ossiarch army, and can extend the range of any other Death wizards in his vicinity. Before the changeover to AoS, Arkhan was a Master Thief and Assassin that was lucky enough to fall in with Nagash while he was still a mortuary priest in Nehekhara. After his ascension to lichdom, Nagash gave the honor of eternal unlife first to his most loyal enforcer, Arkhan, and the powerful sorcerer has stayed at his side ever since. Whenever Nagash has been discorporated, it was Arkhan that led the crusade to bring him back, and so when Nagash created his Mortarchs, Arkhan was again the first to receive the honor. If you want a powerful OG Death wizard but don’t want to shell out for the big bone boy himself, Arkhan is a great addition.
Nagash
It wouldn’t be a Death post without talking about the source of the entire faction himself, the first necromancer, the god of Shyish, Nagash. He is arguably the most powerful spellcaster not only in his faction, but in the entire game, and he’s chunky enough to hold his own in combat, should it come to that. He has some incredible signature spells, including one that can kill Archaon in a single hit, and he can cast a staggering 8 spells per turn, including Arcane Bolt and Mystic Shield an unlimited number of times. Like all of the Mortarchs he created, Nagash can heal nearby Death units or return them from the dead, but since he is the god of death there is no limit to his range. His story is as old as the game itself, being a humble mortuary priest that sought eternal life, and in his quest invented the practice of necromancy, spelling doom for the kingdom of Nehekhara. If you don’t mind spending a nutso amount of points or just really don’t like having friends, you can’t get any more powerful than the inventor of an entire faction who has lived longer than almost any other character.
Who’s your favorite Death character?
