| *Touches*
Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Bonn
Posts: 487
| Chaos Careers Chosen: My name? Long ago, such worthless details fell from memory. I know only the lust for glorious battle - for blood, for victory! I seek only the Eye of Tzeentch - his favour, his grace, his Dark Gifts - that through them, I may be remade - reborn! Why do we raid your lands? Why do we burn your homes? Why do we flay your flesh? To serve the Lord of Change and his magnificent designs."
- An unknown Chosen of Tzeentch
A Chosen Champion of Tzeentch is a sight to behold - warped by the blessings of the dark gods, these hulking behemoths have the power and size to match even the mightiest of mortal creatures. Their thick Chaos armor can ward off the most punishing of blows, while the fell weapons they wield can cleave the heaviest of defenses. However, these "blessings" come at a price - the Chosen is beholden to Tzeentch, and must constantly strive to earn his favor. For the Chosen of Tzeentch this means more than mere slaughter and death. In order to earn the grace of the Changer of Ways, the Chosen must apply guile and trickery as much as brute force. Only through careful planning and deliberate carnage can a Chosen of Tzeentch truly find the favor of their god.
The Chosen of Tzeentch Specialty
Tzeentch expects his Champions to be both ferocious warriors and cunning tacticians. As a result, Chosen who excel in these areas are granted profane rewards. These Dark Gifts allow the Chosen to manipulate the ruinous power of Chaos itself. While this provides them with ever greater strength, it also continually strips away any remnants of humanity that may still reside in the dark recesses of their memories. These Dark Gifts supplement the warrior’s awesome martial skills, increasing their durability, strength and even allowing them to harness the Winds of Magic.
Playing as the Chosen
Above all else, as a Chosen Champion, you will seek the esteem of Tzeentch. Yours is an arduous path, forever seeking out greater glory in the eyes of the Raven God by playing a crucial role in his terrible schemes and cruel manipulations. Encased in a blasphemous panoply of heavy armor, you will endeavor to place yourself on the front line of every battle, where you will bring to bear the power of your Dark Gifts against your foes. You will also often be called upon to protect the insignificant or the weak, not as an act of compassion, but rather in service to the inscrutable machinations of your treacherous god.
Fighting the Chosen
Only death - either yours or theirs - brings any hope of respite from the fear and confusion that the Chosen inspire and the devastation they wreak on the battlefield. The best choice is almost certainly to do anything and everything you can to eliminate the Chosen from the fight as quickly as possible. They are devious and manipulative, and it is unwise to give them any opportunity to use their Dark Gifts to guide the course of a battle. Since they are most dangerous at close range, wise groups will focus magical and ranged attacks on them early in the fight. Failing that, your only hope is a focused, heavy melee attack – though it will certainly be a race against the dark and creeping terror such close proximity to the monstrous Chosen will instill in you and your allies.
The Look of the Chosen
# Ornate and brightly adorned heavy armor made of strange, curving components decorated with the colors and marks of Tzeentch.
# Uses heavy shields bearing the crest and symbols of the Raven God.
# Wields massive melee weapons that crackle with ruinous power at high levels.
Magus: “Let mere Wizards have their simple fire. The flames of Tzeentch are by far the more subtle, the stranger, and all the more powerful for it. Who is more deeply burned? The man who is scorched and recoils, or the man who accepts the flame, thinking it is but warming light?”
- Tor Ravenson, Magus
The magic of Tzeentch is sorcery in its purest form – the raw power of the warp unleashed on living flesh. Using this power, the Magus can wreak incredible destruction, but his powers can cause effects more sinister than simple death. The dark magic of the Changer of Ways infects those touched by the Magus’s fires, tearing at their souls and bodies, diminishing their hearts and spirits. From atop his Daemonic Disc of Tzeentch the Magus rains corruption over the battlefield, annihilating his enemies with the sheer power of the Aethyr and the massive strength of his own will.
Magus Specialty
All manner of Daemons are counted amongst the numbers of the Raven Host, but the Magus uses the power of only one such creature – the arcane and powerful Disc of Tzeentch. He is forever bound to this living platform, and it is utterly ruled by his will. Wielding the power of the Aethyr, the Magus unleashes his spells from atop his mount while commanding the mount itself to unleash its own mighty powers. Channeling his dark powers through his Disc, mortal and Daemon achieve potent synergy, and leave only devastation in their wake.
Playing as a Magus
As a Magus, the primary tactical questions you must answer in battle are which of your abilities will be most effective, and where best to apply them. Your damage dealing power will be well applied in almost any situation, but an in depth understanding of the secondary effects of your spells is also pivotal to maximizing your effectiveness and potency. You are versatile, but you must select the best tools for each fight in order to succeed. Supplement this with good use of your Disc and its special abilities and you will have mastered the basics of playing the Magus.
Fighting the Magus
Defeating a Magus is largely similar to defeating any other powerful damage dealer. He is deadly, but fragile, possessing very limited defensive capabilities. The key special consideration springs from his versatility. If you assault a Magus with one particular approach, he may well have an offense to counter your own. Thus you must either employ a variety of attacks to circumvent this, or be ready to change tactics with extreme agility to react to whatever trick the Magus happens to pull out of his hat.
Magus Look
# Wears light ornamental armor with elaborate robes.
# Wields a staff inscribed with symbols of Chaos and imbued with dreadful arcane power.
# Rides and fights from an arcane and powerful Disc of Tzeentch at all times
Zealot: "He is Tzeentch! The Changer of Ways! The Raven God! The Lord of Mutation! He is the master of all that changes, and the changer of all that remains! His will is Chaos, and all the creatures of Chaos are but fleeting thoughts in his vast mind!"
– Drang The Preacher, Zealot
The Ruinous Powers have many gifts to offer their mortal followers and enemies alike – some of them quite terrible, but some of them powerful indeed. Zealots are among the most devout of the followers of the gods of Chaos, and as such it is they who are called upon to convey the will of the powers to their minions. It is Zealots who mark the followers of their patron deity, and who are charged with spreading their faith to the vulnerable and needy masses. They are not the subtle cultist, but the zealous preachers, and they offer open obedience to their dark masters.
Zealot Specialty
The Zealot deals in symbols. He channels the power of his master through fetishes and totems, and can place the symbols of Chaos on friend and foe alike. Those glyphs placed on Chaos’s loyal followers are called Marks, and can grant entirely new abilities. Those placed on the Zealot’s enemy are called Harbingers, and cause lasting affliction. The Harbingers are well named however, for their full potential is not immediately realized. Using powerful ritual magic, a Zealot can rob the subject of his Harbinger of life and spirit, draining it away to empower the Marks he has placed upon his allies with extraordinary abilities.
Playing as a Zealot
As a Zealot, your task is a complex one. You must prepare your allies for battle, and see that their Marks are set or re-set according to their shifting needs. You must also think offensively, for it is through your use of Harbingers which you are able to both effectively support and magnify the power of your allies, and crush the strength of your enemy. As a spell caster, you must be cautious, but because of your interlinked abilities, you must not be too conservative. If you hold back too much, or try to focus on only one aspect of your powers, all your abilities will be less than they could be.
Fighting the Zealot
The best way to deal with a zealot is by disrupting the complex network of interconnected effects and abilities which can make him so powerful. There are several ways to do this, the most obvious being the use of magic which helps protect you from his Harbingers or strips Marks from his allies. Alternatively, you might wish to attack the Zealot as a priority, but he is hardly the soft target that he might appear to be. You must weigh this option against the possibility that his allies will gain a critical edge while you attempt to eliminate the Zealot himself.
Zealot Look
# Essentially unarmored, in heavy robes and other ritual vestments and regalia
# Wields sacrificial daggers and other wicked instruments of pain.
# Carries many talismans, fetishes, and other occult paraphernalia about his person Marauder: Coming soon |