Age of Sigmar: Why Stop at Fire Lizards? More Big Beasties AoS Needs
The Seraphon are opening the floodgates on scary monsters of the Realms; why should they have all the fun?
The Seraphon have certainly been busy in their ancient temples and totally-not-spaceships. They reintroduced Dragons to the Realms, they’ve spawned a better breed of Saurus, and now they’ve unleashed the fire-breathing Spawn of Chotec. With their magic and biological mastery, they have brought terrifying living engines of war to the battlefield; they’ve single-handedly turned the tide against Death, Chaos, and Destruction. However, they aren’t the only fleshcrafters in the Realms, and I hope that all they’ve done is inspire their enemies. There are a ton of monsters in the lore and the Old World, and there are a few I’d really love to see make their way back.
Wolf Rats and Bonebreakers
The Skaven of Clan Moulder are exceptional masters of mutation. Over time they’ve brought some horrifying creations to the battlefields of the Realms. While Skaven players will already be familiar with the hulking Rat Ogors, the mechanical Stormfiends, and the disgusting bulk of the Hell Pit Abomination, Moulder used to have a much greater menagerie of critters. Two of my favorites were the vicious Wolf Rats and the terrifying Rat Ogre Bonebreaker. The Wolf Rats were what they said on the tin; rats the size of wolves that loped into battle ahead of the main Skaven line. They were surprisingly loyal to the Packmaster that spawned them, and they were lethal in battle.
The Bonebreaker, on the other hand, was a swollen version of the standard Rat Ogre given to powerful warlords as battle mounts. They were wickedly strong, and provided the warlord a better vantage point to lead their troops. While we have something close to the old Bonebreaker in Thanquol and his loyal companion Boneripper, I’d love to see the creature return as an option for all Clawlords.
Skin Wolves/Werewolves
Covering for both Chaos and Death, the lycanthropes of the Old World are sorely missed in the Realms. The Vyrkos vampire bloodline or the Untamed Beasts or quasi-lycans, but they don’t hold a candle to the real thing. The Skin Wolves of Norsca were terrifying foes, and could tear apart an enemy line in the blink of an eye. They follow the more traditional berserker mindset, and were as terrifying to look at as they were to fight.
The werewolves of Sylvania weren’t really battlefield units, but rather horrors existing in the haunted forests of the North. I’d love to see them as usable units, maybe as the next stage of Vyrkos evolution. To be completely honest, I’d settle for a resculpted Varghulf, but more creatures like Radukar wouldn’t be bad either.
Chaos Dragons
Made famous by the dragon Galrauch, the two-headed Chaos Dragon was a terrifying beast to behold. Combining all the intellect and ferocity of a dragon with the raw power of Chaos, they were deadly enemies of Order. Occasionally, a suitably powerful Chaos Lord could bind one to his service as a mount, but more often than not, they were independent creatures. They were a blight on the Old World, and with the Stormcast Dragon supremacy, it’s high time someone remind Sigmar how powerful his enemies can be.
What giant beasties do you hope return to the Mortal Realms?
