Guerre des Skavens - Guide, tactiques et vue d'ensemble

The Skaven are the children of the Horned Rat, an infamous race of ratmen specialised in the most vicious warfare tactics.

They invade every corner of the realms and their smallest warbands, Scurrypacks, can be found even in the Eighpoints.

Will you embrace Chaos in its purest form and power your own creations with warpstone?

 

What changed in the new edition for the Skaven Scurrypacks Warband?

Massive point changes affected a Skaven roster (mostly down) with only the Nightleader not changing. Stormfiends and Rat Ogors melee profile got better with 1 attack more, and few more changes in leader wounds and a couple of weapon ranges.

The abilities saw only small changes, except Diriger depuis l'arrière that went from +3 attacks to only 1 attack more.

Then the Skaven roster was expanded with all new miniatures released in September 2024 and a new battle trait added in Briar and Bone, so there’s definitely some new in this article!

Background and Lore of the Skaven Warband

The Skaven are a race of mutant ratmen whose history starts in the world-that-was to which demise they were great contributors.

Saved by their deity, the Hornet Rat now ascended to the pantheon of the Chaos Gods, they were then liberated in the Mortal Realms with the duty to multiplicate and feast on everything they could touch.

Their strength is not only in numbers, of which they have plenty, but also in trickery and cunning.

Their foul devices or flesh creations are fuelled by warpstone, a dread substance that represents magic corrupted by Chaos, that if touched brings complete insanity.

Skaven live underground, not necessarily within the Mortal Realms as they are able to tunnel the void using gnawholes and move between realms.

Their capital, Blight City, is created on top of a warpstone field and is populated by uncountable numbers, all busy scheming, fighting or otherwise creating the next diabolic invention. At the heart of Blight City sits the Council of Thirteen, the apparent leading government of Skavendom.

However, hidden away in a sub-realm, the Shadow Council composed of 13 Verminlords, constantly changing, really influences and manipulates the decisions of all Skaven.

Their society is divided in clans belonging to one of the 5 Great Clans constantly in war with each other.

1. Clans Verminus have their strength in hordes of Clanrats and Stormvermin to throw at the enemy, with Clanrats being the body of many rat swarms and the Stormvermin representing the elite of the clan often employed as bodyguards.
2. Clans Pestilens venerate the Horned Rat as the Great Corruptor, and scurry the realms in packs of plague monks and censer bearers guided by priests, in search for the Thirteen Great Plagues that, once assembled, will cause the destruction of all realms.
3. Clans Moulders are specialized in twisting flesh and creating monsters of all sorts, of which the most famous are the hulking Rat Ogors, a fusion between an Ogor and a Rat. Swarms of giant mutated rats are also sent into the fray. The Packmasters are then tasked to array in battle these creatures.
4. Clans Skryre took a powerful weapon like a Rat Ogor and perfected it by adding “skaven-brains” to their body and link them with tubes to better direct these monsters in battle. Armed with different destructive weapons they become an efficient artillery instrument. But their arsenal is full of other marvellous weapons loaded with Warpstone, although not always reliable…
5. Clans Eshin specialize in assassins and spymasters, and while no one knows their secret agenda, in battle they attack furtively from the flanks, ready to scurry away to attack from another side.

Even the Eightpoints cannot escape from Skaven presence. Indeed they built an entire colony Under-Carngrad, also called Screaming Delve, where multiple Clawlords and Grey Seers vie for power.

The Clans most interested in the region are however the Moulder as they discovered that varanite, Eighpoints realmstone, can be used as an alternative to warpstone for their biological experiments.

But how do the Skaven play on the tabletop?

If you are not going to rat them out, let’s have a look at them in detail.

Overview and Points for the fighters in the Skaven Warband

Note : si vous n'avez pas lu les règles de base de Warcry avant de lire cet article, il peut être utile de savoir que les capacités du jeu sont activées en utilisant 6 dés que vous lancez au début de votre tour.

Si deux des dés indiquent la même valeur, ils peuvent être utilisés pour activer une capacité Double. Si trois dés ont la même valeur, ils peuvent être utilisés pour activer une capacité Triple, et ainsi de suite.

Ainsi, lorsque cet article mentionne qu'une capacité est un Double, un Triple ou un Quad, il fait référence à ce système. Ce système peut sembler un peu confus, mais il est très rapide de s'y habituer lorsque vous commencez à jouer

The Skaven warband is made from several kits with 38 fighters of which 14 are leaders.

While Skaven Scurrypacks can be formed by any Clans, for easiness of consultation this guide will be split by Clan.

Clans Verminus

Clawlords

• Clawlord: 175 points
• Clawlord on Gnash-beast: 230 points

Dans les Clans Verminus, le Clawlord is your main leader option and he comes in two formats, one on foot and one mounted.

The one on foot has higher damage output than a Clawleader or a Fangleader (4 Attacks at Strength 4 for 2/5 damage), more Wounds (18) and same Agility (Movement 6″ and Toughness 4) than the rest.

He has access to all base abilities (Scurry Away to allow a free disengage action and Diriger depuis l'arrière that increases the Attack of surrounding units) but none of his own making him a good melee fighter but nothing more.

The new profile, the Clawlord sur Gnaw-beast, is a bit faster but being Mounted it comes with some limitations, has the same attack profile, but also a shooting attack with 8″ range. His new ability however is extremely thematic: for a Triple, you can direct any friendly non-hero non-monster fighter within 6″ to perform a bonus attack and then a bonus move. However, if they do not take down an enemy or end the movement engaged to another enemy, they receive D6 damage!

Grey Seer: 140 points

While technically part of the Masterclan, it fits with Verminus quite well providing some ranged attacks up to 7″ range for 3/6 damage that can be further increased with the use of a Double. Consommer un jeton de pierre de guerre allows the damage to go up to 9/12 with a bit of luck.

Luck is key here since you roll as many dice as the value of the ability and for each 1 you self-inflict 1 damage, while for each 4+ you increase by 1 the damage on your next attack.

Despite the 18 Wounds, keep him afar from melee combat as his melee profile is definitely not in par with the ranged (despite the 4 damage on critical hit).

If you do get engaged, you can always Scurry Away at the first occasion.

Clanrats

• Clawleader: 125 points
• Clanrat with Rusty Blade: 70 points
• Clanrat with Rusty Spear: 70 points

The Clanrats have the one of the cheapest leader option available for Skaven.

A Meneur de griffes has an identical profile to the Bringer-of-the-Word but no specific ability.

Regarding the troop options, the difference between blades and spears is that a Blade offers 3 attacks at Strength 3 for damage 1/3, while a Lance n'a que 2 attaques mais à une portée de 2" et pour des dégâts de 1/4.

Apart from this, Clanrats have average stats: Toughness 4, 8 wounds and movement 6″.

Compared to Plague Monks they can survive a bit longer thanks to their higher Toughness but they also do less damage. However in Clan Verminus you probably can’t go out without a few of them and in numbers they can make a difference.

As a leader the Clawleader has access to Diriger depuis l'arrière and as most Skaven all Clanrats have access to Scurry Away.

Stormvermin

• Fangleader: 150 points
• Stormvermin with Rusty Halberd and Clanshield: 80 points
• Stormvermin with Rusty Halberd: 95 points

The Stormvermin are the elite of the “normal rats”, with an excellent movement (6”), decent wounds (10 or 15 for the Fangleader) and higher than average damage (2/4).

Except for the Fangleader they are both armed with Halberds qui offrent une portée de 2", mais les Bouclier increases the Toughness from 4 to 5 losing one attack (2 instead of 3).

Le Fangleader dispose de 4 attaques à la puissance 4 et a accès à Diriger depuis l'arrière.

Combined with the Stormvermin Garde du corps engagé ability that for a Double prevents the Leader from being targeted as long as it stays within 1” from the Stormvermin activated, makes a really close swarm of Stormvermin lethal and the leader more durable.

For more durability the Stormvermin with Shield protecting your leader is an interesting option as Toughness 5 can prevent most enemies from really hurting him, however critical hits can quickly get rid of most Skaven.

And the 2” range Halberd means the Stormvermin can still attack while keeping himself disengaged and protecting the leader.

Clans Pestilens

Plague Priest: 150 points

The Plague Priest is surprisingly one of the few magic users with no ranged attack but he does have a 2″ range on melee.

Despite the appearances he is a decent melee fighter with 4 attacks for 2/4 damage, Toughness 4 and 18 Wounds.

As all Skaven Pestilens he can Scurry Away for a chance to avoid a fight and as all leaders he can pump up the Attacks of nearby fighters (Leade from the Back).

His strongest ability however, shared with the Bringer of the Word, is the Triple Réciter le livre des malheurs, that prevents the use of any ability within a 3″ radius from him. Extremely powerful to shut down resurrection or other area of effect damage dealers, but at the same time his few Wounds would not allow him long life on the front line.

Moines de la peste

• Bringer of the Word: 130 points
• Plague Monk with Foetid Blade and Woe-Stave: 80 points
• Plague Monk with pair of Foetid Blades: 80 points

The Plague Monks are some of the cheapest units available to the Skaven and present interesting options for you. They are also the base troop for Clans Pestilens.

Blade and Stave guarantee 2” range, 3 attacks at Strength 3 and damage 1/5, while the paire de lames ont plus d'attaques (4) mais moins de portée (1") et de dégâts (1/4).

All Plague Monks have movement of 6”, 8 wounds and Toughness 3 making them quick, but squishy.

Le leader, le Porteur de la paroleLe Prêtre de la Peste, le modèle armé d'un livre, se compare au Prêtre de la Peste : pour moins de points le profil de combat est similaire ne diminuant que la portée (1″) et les Blessures (12).

As the Plague Priest he has access to Diriger depuis l'arrière et Réciter le livre des malheurs that for a Triple neutralizes every single ability within 3”.

The exact wording is “enemy fighters cannot use abilities within 3” of this model” meaning that prevents abilities to be activated while in range, but they can be activated outside of the range and then still be effective once inside the 3” bubble.

For example, an enemy 5” away could activate his ability to damage at the end of a movement, move in contact with the Bringer of the Word and damage him ignoring the ability restrictions.

It is surely an important ability if used correctly but depends on a 12 wounds leader (or 18 with the Plague Priest) with Toughness 4 that has to be close to the enemies to disable.

A Stormvermin used as a bodyguard can keep him alive longer but using both abilities in the same turn requires a Triple and a Double and 2 activations.

Plague Censer Bearer: 105 points

The Plague Censer Bearers are the “elite” fighters of Clans Pestilens.

They have more consistent damage (2/4) than a Plague Monk, higher Strength (4) and the 2″ range that guarantees survivability on a 8 wounds fighter with Toughness 3.

On top of that for a Triple, they can fumigate nearby fighters for up to 3 damage (on a 3+).

Moule à clans

Master Moulder: 125 points

Master Moulder is an upgraded version of a Packmaster with more damage both on melee (2/4) and on ranged attacks (1/3 on 3″).

He has also much better Wounds (18) on par with other leaders but Toughness 3 would mean he is still fragile.

Apart the traditional abilities to run away or improve the attacks of nearby units, Master Moulders and Packmaster for a Double can prompt a nearby Beast to perform a bonus attack (Craquer le fouet).

While this ability is a bit wasted on Giant Rats (they are mostly used as cannon fodder), it can also be used on Rat Ogors (4 attacks for damage 4/8, anyone interested?).

If you are playing narrative you can also recruit Chaos Warhounds and Razorgors. The former are more expensive Giant Rats with more Wounds but same attacks, but the latter are a bit cheaper than Rat Ogors and hit hard: 2/5 on 4 Attacks at Strength 4.

Master Moulder can also heal up to 3 wounds to a nearby Beast for a Double (Flesh-mend).

Rat Ogors, Giant Rats and Packmasters

• Rat Ogor: 240 points
• Rat Ogor with Warpfire Gun: 230 points
• Packmaster: 70 points
• Giant Rat: 70 points

This collection of diverse fighters used to come from the same box but is now out of production. You can still find the Rat Ogors in their new iteration, but you’ll have to improvise for the rest.

The Packmasters are there to boost Rat Ogors or Giant Rats and Giant Rats have been the cheapest unit in the entire game.

Le nouveau profil de Rat Ogors comporte encore 2 variantes : une exclusivement en mêlée et une autre à distance.

Les deux ont un nombre impressionnant de blessures (28), un bon déplacement (5") et une résistance (5). Toutefois, les attaques diffèrent, le Rat Ogor qui lance 4 attaques de Force 6 pour 3/6 de dégâts, tandis que le Rat Ogor avec canon Warpfire n'a que 2 attaques de mêlée avec une force de 5, mais, tPour compenser, il peut tirer jusqu'à 12″ de distance avec les 2 autres attaques de même force/dégâts.

In addition, both models have access to Crushing Charge that allows them to do damage at the end of a movement phase for the cost of a Triple. They don’t have Scurry Away as a consequence, but have a new Double that can be devastating early game and unusable late game: they perform a bonus attack but then double the damage taken. So a full health Rat Ogor gets a bonus attack for free, one with 14 wounds, does harakiri after that attack.

Le Chef de meute est là pour "Craquer le fouet"Il aide le maître mouleur à garder les bêtes en ligne en leur donnant une action d'attaque bonus. Voir ci-dessus pour plus de détails.

In a Moulder warband a Packmaster is an essential fighter to help the Master Moulder. They can also work in tandem if nearby, with Master Moulder increasing the attacks of nearby fighters, freeing the Packmaster to send Rat Ogors to devastate enemies: for a Triple and a Double the Rat Ogor can do up to 7 Attacks (damage 4/8) before it’s even his turn… Or after he moved towards an enemy running out of actions.

But be careful on placing the Packmasters, because apart from that they are poor fighters and 8 Wounds with Toughness 3 would mean melting like snow in the sun when engaged.

Enfin, le Rats géants was the holder of the title for the cheapest and squishiest unit in the game (4 wounds at Toughness 2), but was long beaten and now is in good company as the cheapest Skaven fighter as well.

A double edged sword: on one side they can give numbers and allow superiority and mobility to capture objectives (movement 8”), on the other in a context of who kills the most or faster you are going to sorely lose.

In a fight they can bite the enemies with 3 attacks at Strength 3 and 1/3 damage that makes them similar to a Clanrat at the same price. Ah, and they can ran away from a fight if you want to waste a Double to save them…

Les Stormfiends

• Stormfiend with Ratling Cannons: 245 points
• Stormfiend with Grinderfists: 270 points
• Stormfiend with Doomflayer Gauntlet: 270 points
• Stormfiend with Shock Gauntlets: 270 points
• Stormfiend with Warpfire Projectors: 240 points
• Stormfiend with Windlaunchers: 240 points

The Stormfiends are the most expensive Skaven unit and also some of the biggest hitters of the entire game. They are technically both Moulder and Skryre. Their price went down a bit since 2021 hike.

You have many weapon options roughly divided in 3 melee options and 3 ranged options.

While Verminus and Pestilens specialize in numbers, Skryre in ranged attacks and Eshin in a mixture, Stormvermin represent the toughest ranged options available for Skaven. So independently from the Clan you are building around, you may want to consider at least one of them.

35 wounds, Toughness 5 and Movement 5” makes them quite resistant with solid speed.

Starting from the three ranged options, they all have in melee 3 attacks at Strength 4 for 4/8 damage that by itself would be almost like an Ogor Breacher of the Iron Golems, but in addition:

• Le Projecteur Warpfire est celui dont la portée est la plus courte (3-8") mais dont la Force (5 en 2 attaques) et les dégâts (3/6) sont les plus élevés.
• Le Canon à ratling augmente la portée (3-10"), attaque (4 à la Force 4) et perd un peu de dégâts (2/4).
• Le Lanceur de vent a une portée impressionnante de 3-20", moins d'attaques (2 à la Force 4) et les mêmes dégâts que le Ratling.

The 3 melee options can really do some damage, some of the best in the game.

• Les Grinderfists fournit 4 attaques de Force 5 pour 4/8 points de dégâts.
• Si vous avez besoin de plus d'attaques pour les mêmes dégâts, l'outil Gantelets Doomflayer fournit 5 attaques à la puissance 4.
• Enfin, le Gantelets de choc n'ont "que" 4 attaques de Force 4 mais 4/10 de dégâts ! Un jet de dé chanceux peut faire de 16 à 40 dégâts en une seule action.

Stormfiends also have Crushing Charge that for a Triple allows them to do damage when finishing a move next to an enemy model but they cannot Scurry Away.

Clans Skryre

Warlocks

• Warlock Engineer with Warplock Jezzail: 205 points
• Arch-Warlock: 170 points
• Warlock Bombardier: 170 points
• Warlock Engineer: 130 points

The Warlocks are the leaders of the Clans Skryre specialized in use of warpstone in their machines.

All Clans Skryre have access to Étendre la boîte à étincelles Warpstone, that for a Quad allows an extra attack (no range limit!!) with increased damage (up to 3 on both hits and critical hits).

This ability on some weapons can really do some damage. Stormfiends, despite being technically Skryre as well, don’t have access to this ability (luckily).

The other ability Warlocks share as leaders of this clan, is Warp Lightning, that for a Double can damage 1 Wound to up to 6 enemies provided they are in a chain. Useful only against horde warbands like the Skaven themselves.

They also receive the newly added Warpstone Sights which is one of the more convoluted and long abilities written so far. In practice, for a Triple, you detract the ability’s value from the Toughness of an enemy you choose as target (to a minimum of 1). Then if the ability’s value is higher than the unmodified Toughness of this target, the next ranged attack generates critical hits in place of normal hits. And finally, after each ranged attack, the Warlock can move half the ability’s value away from the target. All of this works only in their activation, so it’s a fancy way to buff their ranged attack.

As Skaven they have access also to Scurry Away (but not most of their minions except the Acolytes) and Diriger depuis l'arrière that is however useless with ranged weapons and therefore some of Clan Skryre best attacks.

Le Archi-verrouillage is a melee focussed fighter, with 3 attacks at 2″ range, Strength 5 for 2/4 damage. 18 Wounds at Toughness 4 do not guarantee him survival however if he is not quick to get rid of nuisances.

Le Bombardier Warlock has 2 weapon profiles, with the melee being forgettable but the ranged hitting up to 15″ away for 2/4 damage at Strength 4.

Le Ingénieur Warlock reduces the range (8″), Strength (3) and damage (1/4) but he is also cheaper and a better melee fighter with 2/4 damage on Strength 3.

The latest addition, the Warlock Engineer with Warplock Jezzail, is meant to be the receiver of the new ability Warpstone Sights (but works with all of them) thanks to its 24″ range attack at Strength 4 for 2/4 damage, which makes him a more damaging Bombardier but also the more expensive of the group.

All later profiles have 18 Wounds on Toughness 3.

Skryre Acolytes: 80 points

Acolytes are the basic infantry of Clans Skryre and one of their cheapest units.

However their maximum efficiency is in their single ranged attack for 3/6 damage.

In melee with 1/2 damage and 8 Wounds will not live much and are outclassed even by the cheaper Giant Rats.

Warplock Jezzails: 150 points

Whoever has seen the introduction trailer of Total War Warhammer 2 expansion “The Prophet and the Warlock” cannot have forgotten all Skryre wonderful machines including the powerful Jezzails.

Indeed those long “rifles” have a single shot up to 20″ range for 4/10 damage!

In melee they are not efficient at all so keep them far from the action and don’t forget for a Quad you can do a bonus attack for as much as 13 damage!

Weapon Teams

• Doom-Flayer: 190 points
• Warp-Grinder: 150 points
• Warpfire Thrower: 110 points

Of all weapons the Skryre realized there’s not many as evocative as these (even if the absence of the Doomwheel or the Ratling Gun is painful).

Le Joueur de la mort is a real melee fighter with 5 Attacks at Strength 5 for 2/4 damage.

For some reason it counts as a Mounted unit but with 7″ Movement and 18 Wounds is a veritable good fighter.

Le Moulin à chaîne est une autre machine de mêlée, moins chère que le Doom-Flayer, mais avec moins d'attaques pour plus de dégâts (3 pour 2/5). La résistance est également réduite à 3 et les blessures à 12, ce qui réduit la capacité de survie.

Enfin, le Lanceur de feu de guerre est la machine à distance, avec une portée de 8″ pour 1/4 de dégâts. Le reste du profil est similaire à celui du Warp-Grinder.

But do not underestimate them as a Quad can provide an unexpected free flurry of attacks. The melee options can even be powered up by Diriger depuis l'arrière when in range of a Leader with a spare Triple.

Clans Eshin

Deathmaster: 185 points

The proud leader of an Eshin Scurrypack is the Deathmaster. The most expensive leader available for Skaven is equally able to ranged and melee attacks.

His 8″ range 3 Attacks are more for harassing the enemy (Strength 3 for 1/4 damage) before closing in with 5 Attacks for 2/4 damage.

His special ability, Mort en cours d'exécution, for a Triple allows him a bonus move or disengage action and +1 to critical hit damage. While being better than Scurry Away, it does not qualify as best ability for a Skaven leader and you may want to use more often Diriger depuis l'arrière, otherwise Eshin Scurrypacks will not do much damage…

As an ability would have been perfect on the entire warband, not just the leaders.

Les coureurs de nuit

• Nightleader: 125 points
• Night Runner: 5 points

Night Runners are the expendable units of Eshin Scurrypacks of which the Nightleader is the Leader version.

In Clans Eshin the Chef de file de la nuit compares with the Deathmaster and, while being cheaper, he also has less attacks in melee (4 at Strength 3 against 5 at Strength 4) and less damage on ranged attack (1/3 instead of 1/4).

He has same 7″ Movement but also same Toughness (3) and low count of Wounds (12) making him a poor choice for a leader in almost every Scurrypack, unless you are struggling with points because you took too many Stormfiends.

Indeed if you don’t have Stormfiends, then a few Les coureurs de nuit can torment the enemy from a distance or pick up the wounded or isolated ones without committing with their 8″ attacks. 1/2 damage at Strength 3 are however not a great commitment, but they are cheap.

In melee they fare slightly better with 3 attacks and a profile similar to the Clanrat with Blade. They are however more fragile with Toughness 3 so better keep them shooting instead.

Gutter Runner: 90 points

The Gutter Runner is an upgraded Night Runner with better ranged damage (1/3), more melee attacks (4) and damage (1/4). He has also more wounds (10), making him slightly more durable.

If you don’t have Stormfiends, Gutter Runners can be used as an alternative to introduce some ranged damage.

Spiteclaw’s Swarm (460 points)

1. Skritch Spiteclaw: 120 points
2. Krrk the Almost-Trusted: 85 points
3. Lurking Skaven: 85 points
4. Hungering Skaven: 85 points
5. Festering Skaven: 85 points

Spiteclaw’s Swarm is a Skaven Bladeborn warband from Warhammer Underworlds Season 1.

• There Are Always More (Triple, Skritch): bring back a dead Lurking, Hungering or Festering Skaven close to your leader with up to 6 wounds healed.

Spiteclaw is the perfect example of Skaven leader: with his 2″ range weapon (3 Attacks, Strength 3 and 2/5 damage) he can fight from the backline, increasing his chances to survive, otherwise small considering Toughness 3 and 18 wounds. If that’s not enough he can always Scurry Away (a chance to disengage for free) or increase the attack of nearby fighters with Diriger depuis l'arrière. And on top of that he can then throw dead comrades back in action and straight in the face of any trying to get too close with his special ability.

This ability does not work with Krrk, but the 2″ range weapon similar to Skritch should give allow him to attack without retaliation. If he does get attacked, Toughness 3 and 12 wounds are not going to last long.

The other Skaven are unnamed but they represent a particular aspect: Lurking has high attacks (5), Hungering the least (3) but increases his Toughness to 4, while Festering is the most balanced (and cheapest) with 4 attacks and a higher damage (1/4 instead of 1/3). They all have Strength 3, 10 wounds and 6″ movement, but the best part is, assuming Skritch is still alive, you can bring them back to deny victory to your opponent in some scenarios.

Skittershank’s Clawpack (490 points)

1. Slynk Skittershank: 170 points
2. Snyp Padpaw: 95 points
3. Kreep Kinwhisper: 75 points
4. Skulck: 75 points
5. Krowch’t: 75 points

Skittershank’s Clawpack is a Skaven Bladeborn warband from Warhammer Underworlds Season 6 (Nethermaze), whose rules are available in White Dwarf 494.

• Way of the Slinking Rat (Double, Everyone): on a 2+ perform a bonus disengage action.
• Spitting Cobra Technique (Triple, Slynk and Kreep): select an enemy within 6″ and roll up to 6 dice and for each one equal or greater the target’s Toughness characteristic, allocate 3 damage.
• Way of the Hidden Paw (Quad, Slynk): perform a bonus move and then a bonus attack with as many more attacks as Clawpack fighters already engaged with the target.

• Musk of Fear (Reaction, Everyone)
  • Quand: An enemy ends a move within 3″ of them.
  • Quoi ? Select another Skaven fighter within 3″ and perform a bonus move or disengage action which needs to end 3″ away or more from the enemy fighter.

Slynk represents a Deathmaster, but for some reason he forgot to equip his ninja stars and does not have a shooting profile. Apart from that, he is characterised by two new abilities, one, a Quad, which allows him a bonus move and a bonus attack with an added extra attack for each other Clawpack already within 1″ of his target. And the other can be pretty devastating and compensates the absence of the shooting attack. He can choose an enemy target within 6″ and roll 6 dice. Each of those dice which matches or beats the Toughness characteristic of the target, he allocated 3 damage to them. Against a Toughness 4 enemy that’s 12 damage on average for a Triple!

This last ability is also available to Kreep, who is a Gutter Runner with a better shooting profile (an extra attack), making him a great addition when taking this Bladeborn warband.

Skulck instead has the same profile as a Night Runner, while Krowch’t has an attack more than a Clanrat with Rusty Blade and Snyp is a good melee fighter with 12 wounds, and 4 attacks for 2/4 damage. They don’t have access to many Skaven abilities, lacking the necessary keywords, but they all share a Double which is identical to the Skaven Scurry Away (on a 2+ allows a bonus disengage action), and a reaction which can be used also by other Skaven to flee an incoming enemy, as only the reacting fighter has to be a Clawpack.

Skabbik’s Plaguepack (635 points)

1. Skabbik Plagueseeker: 160 points
2. Rabidius Skench: 115 points
3. Itchitt: 110 points
4. Poxlix: 90 points
5. Rikkit: 90 points
6. Skritter: 70 points

Skabbik’s Plaguepack is a Skaven Bladeborn warband from Warhammer Underworlds Season 8 (Wyrdhollow), whose rules are available in White Dwarf 492.

• Befoul the Land (Double, Everyone except Poxlix and Rikkit): choose a close-by objective or treasure, at the end of the battle round any enemy within 3″ on a 3+ suffers D3 damage.
• Disgusting Appearance (Double, Everyone): subtract 1 from the melee attacks received by this fighter.
• Unctuous Citations (Triple, Skabbik): Skabbik and another Plaguepack within 7″ perform the same bonus move or attack action.
• Manifestation of a Great Plague (Quad, Skabbik): all enemies within 3″ of this fighter or up to 3 visible objectives, receive up to 6 damage.

Skabbik is the leader of this warband, with a similar profile to a Plague Priest but 2 more wounds. As the rest of the warband, he loses access to Scurry Away (no bonus disengage) but obtains the ability to do damage based on enemy proximity to objectives or to him. The Quad in particular is really flexible as it allows to choose if to trigger the damage from Skabbik or from as many visible objective as half the value of this ability, potentially spreading damage on a huge area. The damage is also based on the ability’s value, so higher it is the more damage and from more objectives.

The Double, Befoul the Land instead works on a 3+ and at the end of the turn, but could still be relevant as it can be used by most of the warband, including Rabidius, how has otherwise the same profile as a Plague Censer Bearer.

Itchitt has an unusual Skaven profile, with melee attacks as a Clanrat with Rusty Blade, but a shooting attack at 3″-8″ range for 3/6 damage which can be pretty good if they hit (Strength 2).

Poxlix et Rikkit represent the Plague Monks with the same profile respectively of the one with Paired Foetid Blades and the one with Staves. Considering the low Toughness of this warband (3 on average) the use of the Double which reduces the enemy attacks by 1, can be a life-saver.

Skritter instead is a Giant Rat with same profile but less Strength (2) whose main use is its 8″ movement.

Capacités pour le groupe de guerre Skaven Warcry

• Fuyez (Double, Tout le monde sauf tous les Stormvermins, tous les Stormfiends, tous les Rat Ogors, Warplock Jezzail, Warpfire Thrower, Warp-grinder et Doom-Flayer) : Permet un mouvement de désengagement bonus sur un 2+.
• Craquez le fouet (Double, Packmaster et Master Moulder) : Choisissez un combattant visible avec la marque de course Bête (Rat Ogor ou Rat Géant, mais aussi les Thralls Razorgor ou Chaos Warhound) pour faire une action d'attaque bonus.
• Garde du corps engagé (Double, Stormvermin mais pas le chef) : Jusqu'à la fin du round de combat, les leaders amis situés à moins de 1" de ce combattant ne peuvent pas être pris pour cible.
• Consommez le jeton de pierre de guerre (double, devin gris) : Une chance d'augmenter les dégâts des attaques à distance (ou de s'auto-infliger des dégâts).
• Éclair de guerre (Double, tous les sorciers) : Endommage jusqu'à 6 ennemis en chaîne pour 1 blessure chacun.
• La réparation de la chair (Flesh-mend) (Double, Maître mouleur) : Soigne jusqu'à 3 blessures à un combattant proche ayant la marque de course Bête (Rat Ogor ou Rat Géant, mais aussi les Thralls Razorgor ou Chaos Warhound).
• Furie Warp déchaînée (double, les deux Rat Ogors) : Effectuez une attaque bonus puis doublez les points de dégâts alloués à ce combattant.
• Charge écrasante (triple, tous les Stormfiends et Rat Ogors) : Jusqu'à 6 points de dégâts à un ennemi engagé à la fin de la prochaine action de Mouvement.
• Fumées vénéneuses (Triple, porteur de l'encensoir de la peste) : Possibilité d'infliger jusqu'à 3 blessures aux ennemis proches.
• Running Death (Triple, Deathmaster et Nightleader) : Effectuez une action bonus de déplacement ou de désengagement et ajoutez +1 à vos dégâts sur les coups critiques.
• Diriger depuis l'arrière (triple, tous les dirigeants) : Ajoutez 1 à la caractéristique d'attaque en mêlée des combattants amis proches.
• Récite le Livre des Malheurs (Triple, Prêtre de la Peste et Porteur du Mot) : Jusqu'à la fin du round de combat, les ennemis ne peuvent pas utiliser de capacités s'ils se trouvent à moins de 3" de ce combattant.
• En avant, Minion ! (Triple, Clawlord sur Gnaw-beast) : Un combattant ami non héros non monstre peut effectuer une attaque bonus et un déplacement bonus mais s'il ne tue pas l'ennemi ou ne met pas fin au mouvement engagé, il subit D6 points de dégâts.
• Viseur de pierre de guerre (triple, tous les sorciers) : Pendant l'activation de ce combattant, un ennemi situé dans un rayon de 18″ est considéré comme ayant jusqu'à 6 de moins de Ténacité (avec un minimum de 1). Si la valeur de la capacité est supérieure à la Ténacité de l'ennemi, chaque coup de la prochaine attaque à distance compte comme un coup critique, et après chaque attaque à distance, ce combattant s'éloigne jusqu'à 3″ en sautant.
• Expansion de la boîte à étincelles Warpstone (Quad, tous les Warlocks, Skryre Acolyte, Warplock Jezzail, Warpfire Thrower, Warp-grinder et Doom-Flayer) : Effectue une attaque bonus ajoutant jusqu'à +3 aux dégâts.

Réaction pour le Warband Skaven

Introduit dans la nouvelle saison de Warcry, Réactions sont des choses qui peuvent être faites dans certaines circonstances, mais toujours pendant le tour de l'ennemi. Elles coûtent une action et ne peuvent donc être utilisées que par les combattants qui n'ont pas encore été activés ou qui attendent. Il existe 3 réactions universelles et une réaction spécifique à chaque groupe de combat :

Musc de la peur (Tout le monde)

• QuandLa réaction du combattant se produit : après qu'un ennemi se soit déplacé à moins de 3″ du combattant en train de réagir.
• Quoi ? un autre combattant ami situé à moins de 3″ de celui qui réagit, peut effectuer un mouvement bonus ou une action de désengagement tant qu'il se trouve à plus de 3″ de l'ennemi qui s'est déplacé.

Trait de bataille pour le groupe de combat des Skavens

Il y en a toujours plus : Au début des rounds de bataille 3 et 4, vous pouvez renvoyer un combattant tué coûtant 70 ou moins d'un bord du champ de bataille.

Strategy and Tactics for the Skaven Warband

The Skaven can count on many different units and strategies depending on how you form your warband.

Reaching 15 models (the maximum in a Warcry warband) is actually super easy.

On the other end of the spectrum, you can have a warband made of only a leader and 3 Stormfiends for some bloody carnage!

As always the most appropriate tactic is to correctly balance the different options without forgetting that high numbers can allow for superiority when you count bodies for objectives and similar, while they can really hamper you if you are fighting for who kills the most.

This guide was split by Clans for easiness to read, but you can mix and match whichever units you prefer to form your Scurrypack. We will keep considering each Clan strategy but feel free to adapt to your own strategy.

Clans Verminus have probably the best leaders in the warband and they can count on massive numbers on their side. Clawlords provide a good melee leader, while the Grey Seer, and his ability to increase his ranged damage, provide a good support unit.

Clanrats are cheap expendable units with less output than a Plague Monk but Toughness 4.

The Stormvermin however provide survivability to any leader thanks to their Garde du corps engagé capacité.

Be careful that the latter has to always stay 1” close to the leader hence there will be at least one enemy activation where the two are not close-by and the leader can be attacked if they need to move.

But when it works, 10 wounds and Toughness 5 guarantee to shrug off some of the damage otherwise destined to your leader, until he is in position to launch Diriger depuis l'arrière giving 1 extra attacks to all nearby friendly fighters (the FAQ in January 2023 reduced it from up to +3 to fixed 1).

Clans Pestilens specialize in numbers, and while they are less tough than Verminus, they can also perform more damage.

Keep always some Plague Censer Bearers around because the chance to do free damage for a Triple can be extremely tempting.

Their leader ability, Réciter le livre des malheurs, is quite powerful but situational. If you don’t have a Triple however you can always increase the attacks of your horde with Diriger depuis l'arrière.

Since they are relatively cheap, there’s space for some heavy damage units from other Clans like Rat Ogors and Stormvermin or even a Doom Flayer.

Moule à clans specialize in the use of their leader to get more attacks from their beasts. As such they rely on big masses of Giant Rats and few Rat Ogors.

If you are playing narrative you can increase your Scurrypack with Thralls, in particular the Razorgor allows you a decent fighters at a cheaper price than a Rat Ogor.

Stormfiends are an excellent addition but while providing massive attacks they also cost a lot and can’t benefit from the Packmaster ability making the latter useless.

Moulder allows you to go super Elite with just 3 Rat Ogors, super horde mixing up Giant Rats and few Clanrats or anything in between. But the best advantage is the ability to just buy one box plus a Master Moulder and already have enough for a warband.

The final note has to be for the Giant Rats.

They may give you problems in different situations by dying too fast, but on the other hand their 8” movement will allow them to get in places other units would otherwise struggle, and they still have 3 attacks that can do 3 damage on a lucky 6… Do not underestimate them!

Clans Skryre is specialized in machinery and their weapons provide the powerful ranged attacks that otherwise would be amiss from other clans.

Stormfiends come to mind immediately when looking at powerful units, but they also cost a lot sacrificing other options.

The Acolytes are a decent ranged unit while the Doom-Flayer excels in melee and can be used also in mixed-clan Scurrypacks.

Skryre abilities allow them bonus attacks and increased damage. Would have been nicer (and more thematic) if it was more random like the Grey Seer ability that on a 1 self-inflict damage. But this way they are more predictable and indeed a veritable force. Luckily their best ability costs a Quad so not many occasions in a match to use it.

Clans Eshin are specialised in many ranged attacks, keeping the enemy away constantly pestering with small attacks. You will struggle to bring down the tougher enemies however despite having the numbers on your side.

But on objective based scenarios you will be there before the opponent (6″ Movement) and will be a constant thorn on slower warbands sides.

For a bit more “oomph” you may considering “borrowing” some weapon from Skryre or Moulder.

The final note is for Scurry Away, a Double ability available to most Skaven, except the big guys, most Skryre machines and the Stormvermin. It is now much more reliable, happening on a 2+ and in the right situation may allow you a strategic free disengage.

Free disengage that you have also with the warband reaction Musk of Fear, that is a complicated way to describe the fact that an enemy gets close to your units, one wees himself, the others smell it and run away. Technically speaking this is the excellent use of cannon fodder actions. As the reaction is played by the fighter not moving, you can use your cheap infantry to protect your ranged units, disengaging them from the enemy that is chasing them. And, as opposite to Scurry Away, works also with every fighter in the warband, including the Skryre machines and Rat Ogors and friends.

Did you know we make guides for all Warcry Warbands?

You can find all the warcry warbands guides here.

Avantages et inconvénients des Skaven

Pour :

+ Mobilité élevée
+ capacités de la horde
+ Unités d'élite fortes
+Une tonne d'options

Cons :

- Des leaders fragiles et sans capacités spéciales impressionnantes

Some thematic warband for Skaven Scurrypacks

Pour le plaisir, nous vous présentons ici quelques groupes de guerre thématiques, davantage destinés à l'amusement ou au contexte narratif qu'au jeu compétitif. Notez que dans le jeu narratif, vous devez accomplir une quête qui vous permet de recruter un Héros avant de pouvoir l'ajouter à votre liste.

Power in numbers (Verminus): A Clawlord, a Grey Seer, 4 Stormvermin with Halberd, 4 Clanrat with Blade. We prefer Blade to Spear for more attacks, but you can mix and match. You also have extra points available if you prefer upgrading Stormvermin Toughness with the Shield.

In search of the next plague (Pestilens): A Plague Priest, 3 Plague Censer Bearer, 3 Plague Monks with Blade and Stave and 3 Plague Monks with pair of Blades for a 10-strong Scurrypack. Alternatively you could replace two fighters with the Bringer of the Word to have a cheaper alternative to the leader in case you have a Triple and someone whose abilities you need to disable. For more damage you can also bring in a Lord of Affliction from Nurgle warband as an Ally to replace 2 Plague Censer Bearer and 1 Plague Monk.

Mutated beasts (Moulder): Master Moulder, 2 Packmasters, a Rat Ogor, a Rat Ogor with Warpfire Gun, 3 Giant Rats. In a narrative campaign you can start swapping Giant Rats with Chaos Warhounds or even a Razorgor.

Technology at your service (Skryre): An Arch-Warlocks, 2 Skryre Acolytes, a Warp-Grinder, a Warpfire Thrower, a Warplock Jezzail and a Doom-Flayer for a mechanical warband able to hit hard at any distance.
To leave Stormfiends would be a pity, so one with Ratling Cannons could accompany an Arch-Warlock, 1 Warp-Grinder, 2 Warpfire Throwers and a Doom-Flayer.

From the shadow the come (Eshin): A Deathmaster, 6 Night Runners, 4 Gutter Runners for a quick and pestering Scurrypack. You can even afford to drop a couple of bodies for some Skryre army “on loan” if you prefer.

How to buy a Skaven Warcry Warband

The Skaven Scurrypacks can be assembled from many boxes. For easiness here they are divided using their main Clans.

If you already have an Age of Sigmar skaven army, chances are you have enough models for a Scurrypack, all you need is the Compendium published in the Downloads section of Warhammer Community.

Otherwise, you can start with the box that interests you the most as buying these boxes will give you lost of extra models. The 4th edition launch boxes are a cheaper way to enter the hobby, especially if you can share the other half with a friend.

The Spearhead box (£87.5) in particular includes a Grey Seer, 20 Clanrats and 3 Stormfiends, while the Ultimate Starter Set (£130) contains a Clawlord on Gnaw-Beast, a Grey Seer, a Warlock Engineer, 3 Rat Ogors and 20 Clanrats.

But it can be quite hard to make a Skaven warband considering the many different options available. Some profiles belong to retired boxes, so those would be available only in the second-hand market, and many more have been replaced by newer (and more expensive) kits.

For the individual boxes, we divided the section in the different Clans.

Clans Verminus

For leader options you have the Clawlord, for which there are 2 miniatures available, on foot (£18) and on Claw-beast (£40), and the Sentinelle grise that is only available in the Spearhead box, or can also be extracted from the Plague Furnace/Screaming Bell kit.

Clans Verminus (but also most Skaventide) are composed of Clanrats that are sold in 20-miniatures box (£31.5) with a Clawleader included.

If you need only a couple of models there are Warhammer Underworld warbands which can be used for their named profile, or as generic options. Unfortunately most of them, like the Spiteclaw’s Swarm are not available any more.

The Stormvermin (£34) box contain 10 miniatures, giving you enough to set one leader and a unit with Halberds, but the shields are gone from the latest kit.

Clans Pestilens

Clans Pestilens was the first clan to have a Start Collecting box, but it has long been replaced by the Spearhead. The rest of the army has been discontinued, and the only Plague Priest is available as part of the Plague Furnace/Screaming Bell kit, unless you recycle the leading guy of the Plaguepack (£26).

Le Plague Monks (£28) are available in a 20-miniature box, giving you enough to set at least one leader and 2 units armed with both weapon options.

Moule à clans

Also for Moulder, the only available units at the moment are the newest Master Moulder miniature (£21.5) and Rat Ogors (£37) now coming in a pack of 3.

The Stormfiends are also in a 3-model box (£47.5) with plenty of weapon options but unless you want to magnetize them you will need 2 boxes to get all 6 weapon profiles. Out of the box you can only choose these combinations: Warpfire Projector or Windlauncher, Grinderfist or Ratling Cannon, Doomflayer Gauntlets or Shock Gauntlets.

Clans Skryre

The Arch-Warlock (£24) and the Bombardier Warlock (£20) are available in single blisters, while the newest Warlock Engineer is only available in the Starter Set.

The Skryre Acolytes are now in a box of 5 models called Acolyte Globadiers (£34). The Warplock Jezzails are in boxes of 3 for £31.5. The Doom-Flayers are now in a box with 2 models (£37), the Warpfire Thrower are now part of the Weapon Team (3 models for £31.5) and the Warp-Grinder is still by itself but has a newer model (£28).

Clans Eshin

Clans Eshin have some of the oldest kits available for Skaven: only the Deathmaster got a new model (£24) with the Night Runners are in a 20-model box (£26) and the Gutter Runners are out of production.

Tips on painting a Skaven Warband for Warcry

Show me your amazing Skaven Warband!

I would very much like to display them right here on this page.

Il vous suffit de m'envoyer quelques fichiers. Pour en savoir plus, cliquez ici..

The Skaven have been around since the Old World and many of the models in this warband are years old, so you can find plenty of tutorials online about almost anything including Albino rats.

Recently the Warhammer community website has been updated with a new tutorial for generic Skaven, but you can find detailed tutorials for other particulars like Plague Monk robes ou Spiteclaw Swarm.

Skaven are also easy to speed paint like Pete the Wargamer presented or Bitbox using contrast paints.