This article will describe in detail the Tomb Kings army starting from its lore, describing the main units and their roles, how the army plays and finally our personal opinion of the army.
Tomb Kings – Overview
The Tomb Kings are an undead army led by a military leader (a king or prince of one of the many necropolis-cities) and a powerful priest able to maintain “alive” the troops with his own will. This combination of military and religious power characterises this army and their composition. The style is reminiscent of ancient Egypt, with many tropes including mummified characters, chariots, and giant live statues.
Khemri, the name of the land where they live, is a giant desert that was once prosperous, but when a powerful curse beset their main river (River Vitae, now called River Mortis), death arrived for all inhabitants who withered away until resurrected by a powerful Necromancer.
The Tomb Kings were a powerful military force in life, and the maintain their rigorous martial order even in undeath. This in game is represented by the ability to ignore a good set of rules that makes this army ideal for beginners.
To start with, as undead, they are immune to all psychology tests and they never break from combat. Instead, they lose as many models as the difference in points by which they lost. In exchange, they are able to regenerate and even to replenish depleted units through their powerful wizards.
They cannot march, but their archers ignore any modifier, positive or negative, while even their basic archers can shoot from the back ranks. Most Tomb King characters, however, are particularly sensible to flammable attacks, so it’s important to protect them with magical artefacts and a Battle Standard.
Tomb Kings – Lore
The Tomb Kings of Khemri were once a prosperous civilization, the very first human empire. It was Settra, Priest-King of Khemri, that around the year 2500 before the Imperial Calendar (roughly 4700 years before the current time) reunited all necropolis-cities of Nehekhara under his rule.
He was obsessed with the desire for immortality and gave vast powers to the priestly Mortuary Cult that for years studied the secrets to extend the life of the monarchs and when they eventually passed away, how to embalm them as mummies ready to be one day resurrected.
In the end was one of them, Nagash, to achieve it, although his plans were to enslave all the resurrected kings and the military cohorts buried with them. But the Grand Ritual that he prepared was cut down short by the betrayal of his allies, the Skaven, that freed the last inhabitant of Nehekhara still alive, Alcadizaar, and armed him with a weapon able to kill (or at least temporarily banish) Nagash before he was able to complete his ritual.
So strong was the magic unleashed, that the undead remained animated, with the Tomb Kings returning alive not in their bodies of flesh as promised but as a parody of life. Once again, it was Settra, risen again, to campaign to subjugate all kings to his will and protect his land from the invasion of the other races.
In the current timeline, the Tomb Kings have to protect themselves from tomb raiders and other invasions, like the Greenskins coming from the mountains. The last military involvement is around 2276 IC, where Settra himself commanded a full invasion of the Border Princes to obtain a foothold from which attack Bretonnia and punish them for their desecration of Khemri.
As part of the undead onslaught, many cities fell, including the High Elves fortress of Tor Anrok until Settra met the Exiled Bretonnian lord Sir Cecil Gastonne at the battle of Matorea, whose final outcome is unclear.
Tomb Kings – Grand Army Composition List
Tomb Kings Grand Army Composition list includes the following options.
- Characters (up to 50%):
- 1+ Tomb King or Tomb Prince
- 1+ High Priest or Mortuary Priest
- 0-1 Tomb King or High Priest per 1000 points
- Royal Heralds and Necrotects
- Core (at least 25%):
- 1+ unit of Skeleton Warriors and/or Skeleton Archers
- Skeleton Skirmishers, Tomb Swarms, Skeleton Horsemen, Skeleton Horse Archers and Skeleton Chariots
- 0-1 unit of Tomb Guards or Sepulchral Stalkers as core
- Special (up to 50%):
- Tomb Guard, Ushabti, Sepulchral Stalkers, Carrion and Necropolis Knights
- 0-3 Tomb Scorpions for 1000 points
- 0-2 Khemrian Warsphinx (excluding mounts) per 1000 points
- Rare (up to 25%):
- Necrolith Colossus, Necrosphinx
- 0-2 Screaming Skull Catapult per 1000 points
- 0-1 Casket of Souls per 1000 points
In summary, the main list for Tomb Kings requires at least a monarch and a priest, but normally only one of them would be at the highest level in a 1999 points game. The core requires at least one unit of Skeleton Warriors or Skeleton Archers, and then you can start specialising with more infantry (Tomb Guard), support cavalry (Horsemen and Horse Archers) or powerful chariots.
After that, there’s many other options to fill your roster. Scorpions are good to kill other monsters, and the Necrosphinx is great against infantry or cavalry characters. Casket of Souls are great support units, and if you need to harass enemy war machines you may consider the flying Carrions.
Tomb Kings – Special Rules, Lores and Magic Items
But what makes the Tomb Kings different from other armies?
The first and most important rule that applies to the entire army is Nehekharan Undead, which means they cannot march (unless they have the keyword fly) and they have the following universal rules: Fear, Unbreakable, Immune to Psychology, Unstable.
The main meaning of this, is that they are allowed to “cheat” and ignore a good portion of the main rules, in particular they avoid panic tests and break tests, instead always give ground and lose as many wounds as the difference between the losing and the winning side. Some elite units are able to mitigate this effect with the Indomitable(X) rule which reduces the wounds taken by that rule by X.
Fear is also a nice extra which gives some penalties to enemy units who try to charge or are engaged with Tomb Kings units with greater Unit Strength.
Speaking of ignoring main rules, Tomb Kings archers have Arrows of Asaph, which allows to ignore any modifier to the To Hit roll when shooting, meaning that they always hit on a 5+ or 4+ (depending on their Ballistic Skill of 2 or 3).
Tomb King characters have to be careful with Flaming Attacks as most of them are susceptible to fire (Dry as Dust) and the most elite units will have Khopeshes that increase ordinary hand weapons Army Piercing value by 1.
Most units are not heavily armoured but they have the Regeneration(X) rule which allows an extra chance after the save roll fails.
Tomb Kings wizards have access to the Lore of Nehekhara, which enables to replace one of their spells with one from this selection instead of the signature spell of their chosen lore. This lore contains great options like Djaf’s Incantation of Cursed Blades which allows to re-roll all natural To Hit rolls of 1 (including shooting attacks).
In the Ravening Hordes book Tomb Kings are provided with a choice of magic weapons, magic armours (interesting the Armour of the Ages, a light armour that forces the opponent to re-roll successful To Wound rolls), talismans, magic standards (which includes the Icon of the Sacred Eye for an extra +1 on Weapon Skill), enchanted items and arcane items.
In the Tomb Kings Army of Infamy book, they receive an even richer selection of magic items, including some options exclusive to the Armies of Infamy presented there. Of notable interest the Warding Splint which is a heavy armour that can be worn by Liche Priests without any penalty with an added 5+ ward.
Tomb Kings – Armies of Infamy Composition List
Tomb Kings Army of Infamy book adds two new composition lists, one focussed on the martial side, and one on the priestly caste.
Nehekharan Royal Host
- Characters (up to 50%):
- 1+ Tomb King or Tomb Prince
- Mortuary Priests and Royal Heralds
- Core (at least 33%):
- 1+ unit of Skeleton Chariots
- 0-1 unit of Tomb Guards or Tomb Guard Chariots as core
- Skeleton Archers, Skeleton Infantry Cohorts, Skeleton Cavalry Cohorts
- Special (up to 50%):
- Tomb Guard, Skeleton Skirmishers, Skeleton Horse Archers, Ushabti, Necropolis Knights and Tomb Guard Chariots
- 0-2 Tomb Scorpions for 1000 points
- 0-2 Khemrian Warsphinx (excluding mounts) per 1000 points
- Rare (up to 25%):
- 0-2 Screaming Skull Catapult per 1000 points
This list focusses on the Tomb Kings and Princes with a fast core made of Chariots and Cavalry and some of the basic units replaced by the Cohorts (a mix of melee units in the front ranks and archers on the back ranks), who are able to Volley Fire (more back line models can shoot) when moving or when using the charge reaction Stand & Shoot.
They lose High Priests, Casket of Souls and many other constructs to name few, but gain new abilities starting from that of Chariots to re-roll the Impact Hits when in command range of the general.
The general of this army has to be a King or Prince, and, for an extra cost, he can be appointed Hierophant, becoming a Level 1 wizard in Necromancy and unlocking the Arise! ability (more on this in the Mortuary Priests section).
Every 1000 points, for free a unit of Skeleton Skirmishers can take the Ambusher special rule and a unit of Skeleton Horse Archers the Chariot Runners one.
Mortuary Cult
- Characters (up to 50%):
- 1+ High Priest or Mortuary Priest
- 0-1 Tomb Prince or Arch-Necrotect per 1000 points
- Necrotects
- Core (at least 33%):
- Skeleton Warriors, Skeleton Archers, Skeleton Skirmishers, Skeleton Horsemen and Skeleton Horse Archers
- 0-1 unit of Tomb Swarms as core
- 0-1 unit of Ushabti as core
- 0-1 unit of Necroserpents as core
- Special (up to 50%):
- 1+ Tomb Scorpions for 1000 points
- Ushabti, Venerable Ushabti, Tomb Swarms, Sepulchral Stalkers, Carrion, Necroserpents and Skeleton Chariots
- 0-1 Necrolith Colossus or Necrosphinx as special
- Rare (up to 33%):
- Necrolith Colossus, Necrosphinx
- 0-2 Screaming Skull Catapult per 1000 points
- 0-1 Casket of Souls per 1000 points
This list focusses on the Liche Priests, with one Mortuary that can become Battle Standard Bearer unlocking the same ability of the Royal Herald that, in addition to allow units in range to use its Leadership for their tests, reduces the number of wounds taken by the Unstable rule by D3.
One of the Liche Priests has to be Hierophant and General, independently from their Leadership value, and when any of them uses the Arise! special rule in command range of another friendly priests, it adds 1 to the Wounds healed.
Priests can also extract life force from nearby constructs (Tomb Swarms are perfect for this) to add to their casting roll (up to 3, 1 for each Wound inflicted to the friendly construct).
The last special rule applying to this army of infamy allows Scorpions and Necroserpents coming out of ambush, to trigger a series of Initiative tests based on their Unit Strength, that when failed will automatically kill a model on the targeted unit (The Terror Below).
Tomb Kings – Units Review
Characters
Monarchs of Nehekhara
The Monarchs include the Tomb King and Tomb Prince, with the former being the stronger version of the latter. They are the military leaders of this army and come in many shapes and forms. They have a plethora of weapon options including an additional hand weapon, flails (good option), great weapons, halberds and cavalry spears. They are not too resistant (light armour the Prince and heavy the King) but can be armed with a shield and most importantly mounted.
The key ability the monarchs have is My Will Be Done which provides a buff to a unit that is joined by this character, in particular each of his Command sub-phase he can improve Movement, Weapon Skill or Initiative by passing a Leadership test. This increase is valid until their next Command sub-phase and each monarch can execute it for their unit.
For this reason the mount they use determines which regiment they can be attached to. Starting on-foot, a Tomb Guard regiment seems a great option, but they can also mount a Skeletal Steed (matching the Skeleton Horsemen troop type) and a Skeleton Chariot (probably the best option for a king)
A Tomb King can also ride a Khemrian Warsphinx and the newest model, the Necrolith Bone Dragon. Both brings them at Behemoth type, so no regiment attachment, and they have their uses. The Dragon in particular adds extra attacks, Toughness and Wounds, can fly, induces Terror and can charge further than other units. It is however a big target, especially to artillery and shooting units (even with a -1 to Hit malus to enemy shooting units).
Settra The Imperishable, is THE Tomb King for excellence and can be used in any Army that allows Tomb Kings. He is also the single most expensive unit in the roster (his warscroll is in the Army of Infamy book) and obviously being a named character he is unique. He has to be the General and the Hierophant, but has also a command range of 18″ and can use Arise! even when engaged.
Where he really shines is in a Nehekharan Royal Host where he can join a regiment of Tomb Guard Chariots as if it had the “Light Chariot” keyword, for a devastating unit. With a 4+/5+/5+ saves, 8 Wounds, high Toughness and Weapon Skills, Settra is not immortal but pretty tough to take down.
Prince Apophas, the Cursed Scarab Lord is a named Tomb Prince, usable anywhere a Tomb Prince is allowed. He can fly, has a breath weapon and when he dies he does a blast area damage to all units within 2D6″.
Royal Heralds
The Royal Heralds have a plethora of weapon options and can be mounted on a Skeletal Steed or a Skeleton Chariot, but their main use is to upgrade one to a Battle Standard Bearer so that they can reduce the number of wounds taken by units in range as effect of the Unstable ability (wounds generated by the difference of how many points a unit lost). Basically provides an Indomitable(X) to any unit who already does not have it (the two are not cumulable). And equipped with a Sigil of Centuries for a 6″ bubble of -1 Initiative, it can really hurt the opponent.
Nekaph, Emissary of Settra is a named Royal Herald who can be used in any army that allows them. He makes Fear and Terror tests against him or the unit he joined harder, and has some pretty damning melee magical attacks with Killing Blow on a natural 5+ To Hit during a challenge!
Liche Priests
The priestly caste is essential in a Tomb Kings army. Aside from being the most important source of magic potential, they also have the ability Arise! which allows to replenish the undead hordes. In a standard army, the highest level of Wizardry will also be the Hierophant. This is the single most important unit to protect as his death means that all undead lose the Regeneration(X) rule and will crumble to dust losing models each time they fail a Leadership test each end of turn after the Hierophant’s death.
Priests can also summon ambushers From Beneath The Sands providing a different twist to this mechanic. In a Mortuary Cult army of infamy, this ability is further improved forcing a target unit to test their resolve against incoming Scorpions or Necroserpents.
There are two types of priests. The Mortuary Priest is the lowest rank, can be maximum a level 2 wizard and can mount a Skeletal Steed or go on foot. The High Priest starts as a level 3 wizard and can become level 4 and can mount a Necrolith Bone Dragon in addition to the Skeletal Steed. Note that normally you wouldn’t want to have a wizard engaged in fights and the dragon would make the caster more resistant but also more visible and targetable.
Tomb Kings priests can choose between the following lores: Elementalism, Illusion and Necromancy, and also have access to the Lore of Nehekhara to swap the signature spell.
Necrotect and Arch-Necrotect
The Necrotect is a support hero whose main ability has a chance to give the unit they joined one extra attack per model and the Hatred rule which allows to re-roll failed To Hit rolls in melee in the first combat round. Great option in a Tomb Guard regiment.
The Arch-Necrotect can only be used in Mortuary Cult armies of infamy. His ability can target any unit in command range (so he does not need to join the unit) to increase their Initiative and he can improve by 1 the Regeneration ability of a single Colossus, Necrosphinx or Ushabti unit.
Neither can be mounted.
Infantry
At the centre of a Tomb Kings army we find the Skeleton Warriors. They are the most basic troop available, they are cheap and thanks to Tomb Kings rules, they can avoid the Break Tests working well in attrition wars or as a screening unit. Speaking of which, aside from the full command group, they can have also spears and shields that are worthy upgrades.
The Skeleton Archers are another core unit with a 24″ range and a fixed To Hit roll that makes them a great harassing unit to keep on a hill on the backlines. While they can be upgraded further (light armour and full command group), it is probably not a wise investment as they are going down extremely fast when engaged. They can be detachments of units like the Skeleton Warriors or the Tomb Guard.
The same kit can be used to represent Skeleton Skirmishers, which can screen a unit of Chariots (Chariot Runners) or as Ambushers pop from the sides to harass the enemy backlines. They don’t have command group, but can use warbows.
In the Royal Host Army of Infamy the two units above can be combined in the Skeleton Infantry Cohorts, a regiment whose front lines are composed of Warriors and the back lines by Archers. Their special rule allows the unit to Volley Fire even when they move or when they use Stand & Shoot as a charge reaction, meaning that even if the archers are on the back lines, half of them shoots every round they are not engaged.
All these infantry models come from the same kit.
The Tomb Guard represents the elite skeleton, with better starting stats and equipment. The are a great option for accompanying a Tomb King or Prince on foot. An optional ability they can obtain is Nehekharan Phalanx which allows them to not Give Ground after losing a combat unless the winner’s Unit Strength is more than double theirs. Attention to their Cleaving Blow weapons which ignore Armour and Regeneration rolls on a natural 6 To Wound.
The Ushabti are giant guardian statues created in the likeness of the old gods. They also cover the spot for heavy infantry and can be equipped either with ritual blades that have Strike Last but an impressive Strength 7 and Armour Piercing 3, or greatbows with a 30″ range, Strength 6 and multiple wounds each shot. They are expensive but a valid alternative for a shock unit.
The Venerable Ushabti don’t have a model, but a normal melee Ushabti painted differently would do. They can only be used in the Mortuary Cult army of infamy and don’t have the ranged alternative. In exchange they go to Weapon Skills 5 and Strength 8 so if you are playing that army, they are a must.
The Tomb Swarms belong to the Swarm category and are a not-so damaging unit whose best use is in a Mortuary Cult army of infamy to pump up the casting level of a nearby Liche Priest.
The Carrion instead is a cheap flying unit which can be useful to go around enemy lines and hit the artillery at the back thanks to their Swiftstride ability which gives them a potential 22″ charge.
Cavalry
Tomb Kings are famous also for their mounted skeletons, the backbone of which are the Skeleton Horsemen. With 8″ movement, Swiftstride and the potential to take Counter Charge, they are the ideal harassing unit, capable of chasing the isolated units and finish them off or screen important units.
At the same time the Skeleton Horse Archers, the ranged version, is perfect to hide a Priest on Skeletal Steed. They are extremely mobile as they can move at the end of their Shooting phase and can even be deployed outside their deployment area as Scouts.
In a Royal Host army of infamy, the two can be combined similarly to the Infantry one, in Skeleton Cavalry Cohorts. They behave the same way, with Horsemen at the front and Horse Archers at the back, able to volley fire even if on the back rows and after moving.
All these cavalry models come from the same kit.
But the most iconic Tomb Kings cavalry unit is that of the Necropolis Knights: Tomb Guards riding snake constructs called Necroserpents. With shields and Armoured Hide(1) they go to a 4+ save and their attacking profile is quite interesting with Initiative 3, Cleaving Blow for the riders and Poisonous attacks for the mounts. They also have the full command group and can be further equipped with magic standards. Some great options are the War Banner for a +1 to combat resolution, the Rampaging Banner to re-roll the charge rolls (with Swiftride the can go almost anywhere) and the Icon of the Sacred Eye to bring their Weapon Skill to 5.
In a Mortuary Cult army of infamy the Necroserpents can be taken without the rider. In this case they become Ambushers and they are a great option to launch to the enemies thanks to The Terror Below ability triggering Initiative rolls on an enemy infantry.
The alternative sculpt of this model allows to field the Sepulchral Stalkers. They have more attacks but less strong. They also have a shooting magical attack who works against an enemy’s Initiative rather than Toughness.
Chariots
The most emblematic unit however is the Skeleton Chariot. It can also be used as a mount for various characters as it provides speed, impact hits, shooting attacks and decent Toughness. It’s an all-round unit, with full command group and able to be further improved with magic items. A great option is a regiment with a Tomb King and/or a Battle Standard Bearer.
So, how can you improve on that profile? Replacing the existing crew with Tomb Guard obtaining the Tomb Guard on Skeleton Chariots. Unfortunately available only to Royal Host armies of infamy, they lose their shooting attacks but improve in almost every other aspect, including having Cleaving Blows which bypass the enemy armour save.
Monsters
The Necrosphinx is a Behemoth but a great unit to have thanks to his multiple attack profiles especially those with Killing Blow and Monster Slayer which are perfect to get rid of enemy characters and monsters respectively. Indeed, if any wound allocated by those weapons is not saved, the opponent model loses immediately all remaining wounds. That’s a good way to get rid of inconvenient enemy pieces. It can even select a specific enemy character at the beginning of the game as its target enabling re-rolling of natural 1s To Hit against that target.
The alternative sculpt is the Khemrian Warsphinx, which can also be used as a mount for a Tomb King. It’s a good model, with shooting attacks, generating Terror and an optional Breath Weapon, but is probably better as a mount.
The Tomb Scorpion is an excellent option in any list, in particular because it is relatively cheap (it goes in a single model unit) and it has 4 Killing Blow and Monster Slayer attacks which are great to chase down your peskier adversaries. It will be the main target for your opponent, but no problem, it can be set in reserve and appear anywhere when summoned by a priest.
The Necrolith Colossus represents the more colossal statues brought to life by the Mortuary caste. While tough and strong, with unsaved attacks generating even more attacks, it does not seem to be a must-have in any list.
War Machines
The Screaming Skull Catapult is an artillery piece which gives also the name to a Citadel paint. War machines are not always reliable, but when they work they can be devastating with a blast template attack area generating Panic Tests when unsaved. And if it misses, the optional Skulls of the Foe ability may still give a -1 Leadership penalty to enemies within a considerable range.
The Casket of Souls only drawback is that it can’t move after being deployed. Apart from that it’s a great tool as it gives a bonus to cast to friendly wizards and can itself launch one of two Bound Spells with a power level of 3. One is an offensive Magic Missile that becomes extremely deadly if the target fails a Leadership test, and the other is a defensive Enchantment which adds a 6+ ward to friendly units in range and gives a -1 To Hit malus to opponents targeting friendly units in range. Perfect unit in a castle army.
Tomb Kings – Conclusion
Tomb Kings models’ roster was recently updated before the world ended (2011) so they have a good list of plastic models. Many metal models that were available in resin have since been reproduced back in metal, leaving a huge list of metal models, including some iconic ones like the Ushabti and the Priests who would deserve an update.
There have been also few additions to the resin side, with characters like a new Tomb King, Nekaph and a Royal Herald, which joined modified Tomb Scorpions, Carrions and the Casket of Souls to name few.
Playing Tomb Kings is ideal for beginners as they have a straight-forward rule-set and few disregarded rules which makes them easier to control. It has also a complete roster, with a bit of everything and some great options that allow for a lot of flexibility. You could even have an elite army where only 10 Skeleton Archers represent your infantry, the rest being monsters or chariots.
The addition of the two armies of infamy is an extra bonus, although it focusses on a single trait of the army (military discipline or magic and constructs) without diverging too much. They complement the main list and provide an alternative way to play them.
The list building is also quite concise, providing clear guidelines on where to start, and from there, it’s all about your imagination. There are some units that are more performant than others, but overall Tomb Kings have been scoring pretty high in the initial tournaments of 2024.
The main drawback is the availability of original models as Games Workshop stores have been struggling to provide availability of some of the oldest resin and metal models, and there’s no alternative options from Age of Sigmar to “borrow”.
In summary, Tomb Kings are an iconic army of Old World, one extremely fun to play with and against and we can’t recommend it enough.
Tomb Kings – Other resources
Like many armies, Tomb Kings also don’t have all various mounts and weapon options available directly to purchase and it will require a bit of kitbashing and customization. If you look at the second hand market, you can still find a metal tomb king with a halberd, and a priest and herald on Skeletal Steed. Otherwise you’ll need to try your best considering that horses are all plastic and the heroes needing them are usually resin or metal.
There is also a Tomb King on Chariot in metal, but it is easy to make one entirely in plastic, as there’s a king in the Dragon and the Khemrian Warsphinx kit. The Dragon kit in particular is a great source of customisation with a cavalry spear and a flail for kings and princes, but also a priest which fits perfectly on a plastic horse.
If kitbashing is not really your strength, can’t find the right models directly from GW store, or simply need some inspiration, there are some great artists who realise alternative sculpts. The following list is not exhaustive, is just our personal preference.
One Page Rules is definitely one of the biggest player on the market as all their miniatures are also usable in their own games, where they have everything from Regiment to Skirmish rule sets. Their Mummified Undead is a pretty classic take, with some good options for replacement units, but would need some scaling. We found the troop options working better at 110% and the Ushabti and Snakemen at 120%.
Dragon’s Lake Miniaturas Undying Dynasties have also some good alternatives, in particular the Ushabti, although we scaled them down to 80%.
Another classic take with great options is Ghamak’s Undead Pharaohs, in particular the Vultures are giant Carrions and the Tomb Scorpions are quite different from the usual ones.
If you are searching for something different and distinctive, Archvillain Games Empire of Sands may be what you are looking for.