Age of Sigmar: First Look At Spells And Prayer Rules – It’s Magic Time
How will spells, prayers, and other magical mayhem play out on the tabletop in the new edition of Warhammer: Age of Sigmar? Time to study up!
It’s time to delve into the mystic arts and holy words of Age of Sigmar. Get ready to sling some magic and chant some prayers in the new edition. We’re getting our first look at how the rules will change and what those mighty wizards and righteous priests will be able to do on the tabletop.
“Along with the changes to commands and combat, the way that spells and prayers work in Age of Sigmar has undergone some significant tinkering, leading to more flexibility and opportunities for counterplay.”
Magic In Warhammer: Age of Sigmar
Kicking things off we’re looking at what Wizards will be able to do first. Each Wizard has the Wizard keyword followed by a number. This number determines number of Spell, Unbind, and Banish abilities they can use per phase. In the case above, the Weirdnob can attempt to do one of those abilities per phase.
“Spell lores have changed in the new edition, and are selected as part of constructing your army. Pick a single spell lore, and every sorcerer in your army can attempt to cast any of the spells from that lore. This means you no longer need to keep track of which specific Weirdnob Shaman knows Mighty ‘Eadbutt – you can attempt to cast that spell with any of them.”
When it comes to these spells and spell lores Wizards cannot cast the same spell that another friendly wizard has cast that turn. So, in the case of Mighty ‘Eadbutt, only the one Weirdnob could cast this per turn. However, there is a new Unlimited keyword that allows for the spell with it to be cast by more than one friendly Wizard per turn. But even with that change, the same Wizard can’t cast an Unlimited spell multiple times.
Casting is still 2D6 and double 1s is still a miscast. Now, a Miscast is just D3 Mortal Damage and the Wizard cannot cast for the rest of the phase.
Unbinds are an exception and can be used by the same Wizard multiple times (if they have power level). But they can only attempt to Unbind a spell once per casting roll. It’s a reaction ability and works very similarly to how it function in the current edition. Note that you do have to exceed (beat) the casting roll to successfully Unbind the spell.
Prayer Chanting In Age of Sigmar
“The gods have cast their divine light on the prayers in the new edition, which are now more powerful than ever – and very different from spells, in some key ways. As with your spellcasters and sorcerers, your PRIESTS are marked out by a keyword with an associated power level, and may use a combination of PRAYER and BANISH abilities each phase up to that number. “
Not completely dissimilar to how Wizards functions, Priests will be using Prayers instead of Spell. But they also have access to Banish abilities, too.
Again, like Wizards, you’ll be picking a single prayer lore as part of your army list. However, the new Prayer system works differently from here on out.
“Instead of making a single dramatic casting roll, these combative clergy beseech their deities (who may even be on the battlefield with them at the same time) through chanting. Every prayer will ask you to roll a D6 chanting roll, and on a roll of 2+, your PRIEST gains that many ritual points, which accumulate over multiple turns. “
Every Prayer in the game has a chanting value that must be reached before it can be answered. Often, Prayers will also include a higher value that can supercharge the miracle even more. In the example Prayer above, it’s chanting value is 4. But if you hold out for a chanting value of 8+ you’ll also be able to inflict 3 Mortal Damage to the target, too!
“Building up your rituals comes with a risk, and the gods in the Age of Sigmar can be extremely petty, so a chanting roll of 1 will lose your priest D3 ritual points. Note that prayers can’t be unbound, so astute commanders will have to target enemy prophets while they’re busy amassing ritual points for swift execution.”
Endless Spells in Age of Sigmar
Endless Spells as well as Invocations are still a part of the Magic System in Age of Sigmar. However, they are also getting a slight rework. Instead of spending points to include them in your army you’ll choose a manifestation lore when building your list. This will grant access to a selection of Endless Spells and other invocations you’ll be able to summon in during the battle.
“Some factions will have their own Manifestations, while the current endless spells from Malign Sorcery and Forbidden Power are divided into thematic lores. You’ll find the infamous and ghastly Purple Sun in the Morbid Conjuration Manifestation Lore, for instance, alongside Suffocating Gravetide, Malevolent Maelstrom, and Soulsnare Shackles. “
Naturally, these Endless Spells and Invocations will need a counter. That’s where Banishments come into play.
That said, there will be more ways to interact with these arcane forms which GW will go over next week.
New Spellbook, Who Dis?
For the most part this entire system feels a lot like the previous one. Prayers got the largest change with the shift to chant value — a resource that will build up over time. But as far as Wizard power level, spell casting still being 2D6, and some tweaks to how many times you can cast a spell, it’s not that different.
I think what’s really been changed are the spell and manifestation lores. I am wondering if these are going to just be updated spell lists from the current edition or if those got massive reworks per army/lore.
What do you think of the new Spells and Prayers rules in the upcoming new Edition of Warhammer: Age of Sigmar?
