‘Warhammer: The Old World’- The Five Best Magic Standards From ‘Forces of Fantasy’

Everyone needs a rad flag! These are the best magic standards the good guys of Warhammer: The Old World can wave around!

We’ve spent a fair bit of time looking at the best units in the game lately. However, units aren’t the only things that make up an army. Weapons, upgrades and especially magic items are a huge part of the game. Picking the best things to take can make or break your army. We’ve looked at the best common magic items before, but now I’ve started to drill down a little deeper into what is good and worth taking.  However, there are a lot of items out there so we are going to have to break things down a lot.

Today, I want to take a look at the best magic standards from the ‘Forces of Fantasy’ armies (and their AJs). We did the “bad guys” last time so now we need to see what the so-called good guys can bring to the table.  Obviously, what is best depends a lot on your build and army, but there are a few that really stand out. Magic Standards is one of the bigger lists with some strong entries here, so let’s take a look.

5. Banner of Châlons (Bretonnia) 

Starting off our list we’ve got the very useful Banner of Châlons. For a very cheap 20 pts it prevents the enemy from standing and shooting vs your unit. It’s not going to be useful every game, and but it can still come in super handy. There are some army builds that really rely on shooting and can build units that it’s quite dangerous to charge. Châlons can help with that a lot. Heck at only 20pts if in only saves a single knight or Pegasus from being lost it’s worth it.

4. Griffon Standard (Empire)

The Griffon Banner is a classic Empire standard that’s seen use for decades. It basically lets you double the rank bonus you are getting for a unit. In a full horde infantry unit that is up to a +3 to combat res from the banner (6 total from ranks). It’s part of a decent combo that can get an infantry unit up to a solid 7-8 on static combat res. This is enough to beat a dragon that you have challenged.  While it is very useful, its limited in that it really only works on infantry, and needs a lot of ranks to give you much. In a beat up unit, or one that can’t claim a rank bonus, the flag is pretty much useless cloth.

3. Battle Banner (High Elfs)

While slightly more expensive this High Elf banner is also better in most situations than the Griffon Banner. It gives you an extra d3 to combat res, though you pay 60 pts for that. Now it is a bit random, but will at the least always give you some bonus. It’s also not tied to ranks or anything, so the Battle Banner is useful on cav and smaller units. With it you can build some 7-9 static combat res units, which can be game winning if used right and a real pain to deal with.

2. Banner of the Hunter King/Banner of the Zealous Knight (Wood Elfs/Bretonnia)

I’ve clumped these two banner together as they are identical. Both are 25 pts and give a unit vanguard. Now I think Vanguard is a very very powerful ability to be able to give to any unit. Giving it with a banner is extra good as it lets you give it to characters that have joined that unit. Bretonnians by far get the best use out of this banner as it lets a unit of Pegasus Knights with characters get off first turn charges. I used it to great effect at NOVA and it’s a hallmark of many lists. It is limited to just Bretonnian Exiles, so only a sub-faction can take it.

The Banner of the Hunter King on the other hand can be taken by any Wood Elf army. That gives it more flexibility. On the other hand Wood Elfs just don’t have quite as good units to give it to, nothing quite like Pegasus Knights! Both Wild Riders and Warhawks (but why?) can use it for a first turn charge, so it is still quite useful.

1. Dwarf Runes (Dwarfs)

Yep, once again Runes are just amazing and topping a list. As I’ve said in other lists, Dwarf Runes give you a ton of flexibility and great options. In fact their standard runes might be some of the best they get. Master Rune of Hesitation and Rune of Confusion can really shut down chargers. Rune of Battle is a solid +1 to combat that you can get a few units carrying with the right rune combos. The Master Runes of Grungni and Stromni Redbread give solid buffs to swaths of your units. They’ve just got a lot of bangers and the struggle here is not finding good options, but resisting putting all of them in your army.

Let us know what your favorite standards are, down in the comments! 

Author: Abe Apfel

Abe is that rare thing, an Austin local born and raised here. Though he keeps on moving around, DC, Japan, ETC., he always seems to find his way back eventually. Abe has decades of experience with a wide range of tabletop and RPG games, from historicals, to Star Wars to D&D and 40K. He has been contributing to BOLS since almost the start, back when he worked at and then owned a local gaming store. He used to be big into the competitive Warhammer tournament scene but age has mellowed him and he now appreciates a good casual match. He currently covers 40K tactics and lore, as well as all things Star Wars, with occasional dabbling in other topics. Abe remains in mourning over the loss of WFB to this day.