Daemons of Tzeentch Warband – Guide, Tactics & Overview

Tzeentch is the Chaos God of magic and manipulation, the Changer of Ways.

His daemons represent this raw energy and maddening affinity with magic, each infused with a glimmer of the god essence. This is a guide for the Tzeentch Daemons Warcry Warband.

Change is coming, will you embrace it leading Tzeentch Daemons to war?

What changed in the new edition for the Tzeentch Daemons Warband?

Tzeentch Daemons saw the Horrors increase in price and most other leaders decrease, with the addition of two new profile by splitting both the Changecaster and the Fluxmaster by their weapon options: Staff of Change or Ritual Dagger. All non-horror fighters increased their ranged attack to 3-15.

The abilities Split and Split Again are now Reactions. Some abilities changed, so please read the article carefully to see new take on this warband.

The FAQ added flying to Flamers and Exalted Flamer, and Pyrocaster in January 2023.

Briar and Bone added an optional battle trait.

Background and Lore of the Tzeentch Daemons Warband

Tzeentch sits at the centre of the Crystal Labyrinth, an ever-changing fortress impossible to understand by a mortal mind. Natural laws do not apply in the dominion of Tzeentch. From there he sends forwards his legions of Daemons.

Horrors advance launching sorcerous bolts from their fingers and, when struck, split in other lesser horrors spiting their mortal assailant.

Flock of Screamers descend from the skies to cut people with their bladed wings occasionally bracing an opponent with they lamprey-like mouths. Flamers pour from their body mutagenic fire towards their victims.

Tzeentch’s daemonic lieutenants are his Heralds, plotting in the name of their god afoot or on top of burning chariots.

But when Tzeentch requires more attention to a task, will then deploy his greater daemons: the Lords of Change.

Tzeentch has been particularly interested in Chamon, the Realm of Metal, and its ever changing properties. The Bloodwind Spoil is close to the archway to Chamon and therefore heavily populated by Tzeentch followers.

His daemons, gathering in Fatetwister Bands, are highly unpredictable and ready to provide services to the warring warlords but their whimsical attitude makes them equally dangerous and ready to betray.

But how do they play on the tabletop? Let’s take a look at their fighters and bone-crunching abilities.

Overview and Points for the fighters in the Tzeentch Daemons Warband

Note: if you haven’t read the basic rules for Warcry before reading this article, it might be helpful to know that the game’s abilities are activated by using 6 dice that you roll at the start of your turn.

If two of the dice show the same value, they can be used to activate a Double ability. If three show the same value, they can be used for a Triple ability, and so on.

So, when this article refers to an ability being a Double, a Triple or a Quad, it refers to this system. It might sound a bit confusing, but takes no time to get used to when you start playing

The Tzeentch Daemons warband is made from 7 kits with 12 options of which 6 are leaders.

Heralds of Tzeentch

• Fluxmaster with Staff of Change: 240 points
• Fluxmaster with Ritual Dagger: 240 points
• Changecaster with Staff of Change: 160 points
• Changecaster with Ritual Dagger: 160 points

The Heralds of Tzeentch have an identical ranged attack with 15″ range, Strength 3 but 3/6 damage that can be pumped up to Strength 6 using the Locus of Sorcery (see below).

Their melee profile instead changes depending on the weapon chosen and the leader:

• The Staff of Change provides 2″ range and a good damage (2/5).
• The Ritual Dagger has more attacks but 1″ range and less damage (2/4).
• Both Changecaster have 1 attack less than the corrispettive Fluxmaster weapon.

The Fluxmaster has 25 Wounds, Toughness 3 and an excellent 12″ Flying movement. His special ability however is Blue Fire that for a Double allows to roll 2 dice and allocate 1 damage for each 4-5 and up to 6 damage for each 6 to an enemy within 9″. On average this means 1 damage, but with a bit of luck…

The Changecaster ability costs a Triple but allows to do 1 damage for each 4+ and you can throw 9 dice. So while the potential damage is lower, you don’t need a high valued Triple and you have better chances to do some damage (4 on average). Completes the profile 20 Wounds on Toughness 3 with 4″ Movement.

The other ability in common with all leaders is Master of Destiny. For a Triple, it allows to add the value of the ability (to a maximum of 6) to any other ability used by a fighter within 12” from the leader.

This can only be used with some universal abilities or with the Locus of Sorcery (to add up to 3 point to the Strength characteristic for Ranged attacks), Latching Bite (an ability usable only by the Screamers), Blue Fire described above and the Capricious Warpflame (from the Flamers).

In the last case, you would need to have a Triple and a Quad available and have your leader within 12” of a Flamer within 3” of enough enemies to justify the use of 7 dice…

Flamers of Tzeentch

• Pyrocaster: 205 points
• Flamer of Tzeentch: 165 points
• Exalted Flamer of Tzeentch: 220 points

The Flamers of Tzeentch represent two different models that can also be purchased separately. The leader of the unit of Flamers of Tzeentch is called Pyrocaster, while the Exalted Flamer can be found also riding a Burning Chariot (although in this version is not usable in Warcry).

All Flamers share the same ability: Capricious Warpflame. For a Quad they can do up to 6 damage to any enemy fighter within 3”. The range is small but the potential damage really high, although it does cost a Quad and really depends from the ability value too.

As most Tzeentch units, Flamers have a ranged and a melee attack. The ranged attack has a minimum range of 3” and a maximum of 15” at strength 3.

The Pyrocaster and the Exalted Flamer have 4 attacks each, while the Flamer only 3. The Exalted Flamer does also 1 more damage (2/5) on a critical hit. The melee attack is the same across all 3 units: 2 attacks at strength 3 for 2/4 damage.

With Toughness 3, the number of wounds can make the difference: 20 for a Pyrocaster, 15 for a Flamer and 25 for an Exalted Flamer.

In synthesis the Flamers are a loose cannon, because the Quad is always there lurking when you get too close, and if you don’t get too close, they can hit with 4 (or 3) attacks and damage on critical hit of 4.

The strength is quite low but can be improved for a Double using Locus of Sorcery bringing it to a potential 6 (for one attack action only).

But this cannon is also made of glass with Toughness 3 and no ways to improve it.

In melee they still perform decently but here is the conundrum: with flying movement 8” and a range of 10”, do you want to keep your enemies distant but not enough so that you can’t use a well placed Quad while risking to be torn apart if anyone survives or you keep the distance and hope for some critical hits?

Screamer of Tzeentch: 210 points

The Screamers are capable Sky-sharks and the second Flying unit in this Warband. With an impressive movement of 12” they can cover great distances in one single round.

Their main ability, Latching Bite, allows them to improve their Strength characteristic (from 4 to a potential 7) for a Triple.

As a plus after using this ability the target can’t move or disengage until the end of the turn, meaning they could then leave him there to move to an objective (note this is different from the previous version of this ability where the Screamer could not move). With 4 attacks at damage 2/4 they can end up doing some serious damage to mid-tier fighters.

But be careful about the comeback in case they do not kill their opponent: with Toughness 3, their 18 wounds will not last long.

Screamers are melee-only so use them wisely and don’t forget they are perfect to get first to objectives and other strategic points.

Horrors of Tzeentch

• Iridescent Horror: 170 points
• Pink Horror: 135 points
• Blue Horror: 90 points
• Brimstone Horror: 65 points

The Horrors of Tzeentch are the most unusual of the Warcry fighters and are very thematic. Pink and Iridescent Horror have access to the Split reaction that allows to replace that fighter with 2 Blue Horrors, while the Blues can be replaced (again as a reaction) with a Brimstone Horror.

You need to have at least one action still available to use this reaction but, considering they have Toughness 3, replacing an almost dead fighter with a healthy, although less powerful, one makes this reaction an interesting strategy.

The Horrors have a ranged attack with 3-10” range at Strength 3 with decreasing damage depending on the Horror, and a melee attack at Strength 3 following the same trend.

The leader, and strongest of the Horrors, is the Iridescent.

As a Leader he has access to Master of Destiny that can be used to support nearby Flamers or Screamers.

As a Horror he can also split in the desperate situation you can afford to lose a leader and replace it with 2 more fighters. With 16 wounds he is the most resilient but by little and his 2 ranged attacks have damage 1/4 while his 4 melee attacks have damage 2/4 making him versatile but not overpowered.

The Pink Horror on the other side has 12 wounds, 2 ranged and 3 melee attacks with damage 1/4 making him an excellent option although at a high price.

The Blue Horror loses wounds (only 8) and damage on critical (1-3) on both weapons for a considerable cheaper profile.

The Brimstone Horror is the cheapest fighter of this warband. For 6 wounds and damage 1/2 do not expect much, but at the same time you can get one for free (still using a Double) if a Blue Horror is close to die and it will interfere on the count of models around an objective.

Ephilim’s Pandaemonium (470 points)

• Ephilim the Unknownable: 145 points
• Spawnmaw: 105 points
• Flamespooler: 95 points
• Apo’Trax the Starefysh: 70 points
• Kindlefinger: 55 points

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

• Hypnotise (Double, Apo’Trax): Force an enemy within 6″ to make a move directly towards this fighter.
• Sudden Warp-Portal (Double, Everyone): Swap two fighters of this warband within 12″ placing them within 3″ of their original location.
• Engulfing Bite (Triple, Spawnmaw): +2 to Attack, Strength and damage on critical hit for the next melee attack action.
• Summoned Abomination (Quad, Ephilim): Bring back within 3″ and at full health a slain fighter from this warband.

This warband is particular because most of these models are extremely unique in all Age of Sigmar context. Even Ephilim has a caster profile with extreme low survivability if engaged (Toughness 3 and 18 Wounds) but a good ranged attack (3″-7″ range 3/6 damage at Strength 4), but nothing close to existing profiles. His melee attack is just average, but has a 2″ range which helps to attack avoiding being engaged.

Ephilim’s ability allows to resurrect any other warband fighter at the cost of a Quad by making them re-appear within 3″ and at full health. The entire warband can also swap position within 12″ for a Double, and this becomes extremely interesting to keep Ephilim alive when they get too close to him.

Spawnmaw is the brawn of the warband, with 3 attacks at Strength 4 for 2/4 damage. For a Triple, with its ability Engulfing Bite, it becomes much deadlier increasing by 2 Attack, Strength and damage on critical hit for the next melee action (so 5 attacks at Strength 4 and 2/6 damage). He is also the fastest (5″) but as everyone else, his low Toughness will not grant him a long life. As long as you have a Quad and Ephilim alive, that should not be a problem.

Apo’Trax has a single attack but for 3/6 damage, and an ability that for a Double forces an enemy to move of their entire movement directly towards Apo’Trax. Good to get an otherwise protected fighter right in the middle of your own side.

Flamespooler has average attacks, with his ranged profile going as far as 12″ but the Strength 2 in both melee and ranged profiles makes him mostly cannon fodder.

Lastly, Kindlefinger will not be remembered for his high damage output (1/1 ranged and 1/2 in melee) or Strength (1) but it is the weirdest-looking fighter in an already crazy warband. He is cheap, because with 6 Wounds and Toughness 1 if it is ever engaged, it is dead before the opponent finishes sneezing.

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Abilities for the Tzeentch Daemons Warcry Warband

• Locus of Sorcery (Double, Everyone): Add up to 3 to the Strength of the next ranged attack action.
• Blue Fire (Double, both Fluxmaster): A chance to do some damage depending on the value of the ability and dice roll on an enemy 9″ away.
• Latching Bite (Triple, Screamer): Add up to 3 to the Strength characteristic for the next attack action and prevent the target from moving or disengaging for the rest of the round.
• Master of Destiny (Triple, all Leaders): Add the value of this ability (to a maximum of 6) to any ability used by a fighter within 12” of the leader.
• Pink Fire (Triple, both Changecaster): A chance to allocate up to 9 damage to an enemy 9″ away.
• Capricious Warpflame (Quad, Pyrocaster, Flamer and Exalted Flamer): Allocate up to 6 damage to all close enemy fighters.

Reaction for the Tzeentch Daemons Warband

Introduced in the new season of Warcry, Reactions are things that can be done in certain circumstances, but always during the enemy turn. They cost one action, so they can be used only by fighters that have not activated yet or are waiting. There are 3 universal reactions and one specific to each warband:

Twist of Fate (Everyone)

• When: During an enemy melee attack action but before hit rolls.
• What: Change the value of one of your doubles with the value of one of the hit rolls.

Split (Iridescent Horror and Pink Horror)

• When: After the damage received is calculated.
• What: Replace this fighter with 2 Blue Horrors within 3″

Split Again (Blue Horror)

• When: After the damage received is calculated.
• What: Replace this fighter with a Brimstone Horror within 3″.

Battle Trait for the Tzeentch Daemons Warband

Warp Destiny: After the initiative phase, swap the value of any two Double, Triple or Quad with each other.

Strategy and Tactics for the Tzeentch Daemons Warband

Tzeentch Daemons is warband which is probably more suited for experienced players.

The fighters all have low Toughness but compensate with a decent ranged firepower and good mobility to keep their opponents at distance.

When grabbing objectives, the Horrors and their ability to split will ruin more than one adversary’s plan, doubling the fighters around a particular position when they die. Useful also to engage other opponents if required and get extra firepower on the table mid-game.

The leader ability is an interesting one: really situational and probably the least used in the various warbands as it requires a lot of dice. Another characteristic of this warband is the low number of attacks available and the low Strength.

You are able to increase one of the two values but not both at the same time (the universal ability Onslaught for a Double gives +1 attack for the entire activation).

The damage output is also on average high (2/4) but the absence of heavy hitters will make dispatching the strongest tanks an incredible feat. For this reason, at least one Exalted Flamer should be included in every list. He guarantees a decent damage output at a certain distance, high wounds and a good mobility with its 8” movement.

Another alternative are the two heralds that can do 3/6 ranged damage. Their abilities are arguable, in particular the Fluxmaster Blue Fire, while the Changecaster Pink Fire is slightly more reliable.

Movement wise the best units are the Screamers thanks to their flying 12”. They are also good melee fighters and if they really commit, with a Triple they can ensure to do a decent damage even to the most armoured opponent, also preventing him also from running away.

Where this warband will struggle are the missions in which you have to defend a certain group. Splitting a horror will count as your warrior being taken down, so be ready to play cat and mouse and bombard your enemies with your magic missiles.

Finally, the Flamers can unleash hell if surrounded (and you have a Quad available), but most of the time are better suited to attack from afar.

The last mention goes to the warband reaction: Twist of Fate. It can be used to change the value of a Double ability but depends on an enemy rolling high against you (can be used by a fighter that is going to die so that you don’t waste his actions). However, when we look at Doubles that would benefit from an increased value, we find only Locus of Sorcery limiting notably its usefulness. You could consider it when you have Brimstone dying, to upgrade the next missile action, assuming your opponent rolls high enough.

Pros and Cons of the Tzeentch Daemons Warband

Pros:

+ Decent ranged options
+ Ability to multiply fighters

Cons:

– No heavy hitters
– Fragile
– Can be hard to play for beginners

Some thematic warbands for the Fatetwister Bands

Just for fun here we present few thematic warbands, meant more for fun or narrative context than for competitive play. Note that in narrative play you need to complete a quest that allows you to recruit a Hero before being able to add him to your roster.

All Flames: Changecaster with Staff of Change, Iridescent Horror, 3 Pink Horrors, 2 Blue Horrors and 1 Brimstone Horror.

Variety Box: Changecaster with Staff of Change, Exalted Flamer of Tzeentch, 1 Screamer of Tzeentch, and 3 Pink Horrors. All in the Start Collecting, but you will need some Blue and Brimstone to use the split abilities. To get also a Flamer of Tzeentch you will need to downgrade a Pink Horror to a Blue Horror and replace another one with the Flamer.

How to buy a Tzeentch Daemons Warcry Warband

The Tzeentch Daemons warband is almost entirely contained in the Start Collecting! Daemons of Tzeentch box.

While you can find every single other miniature independently in other boxes, for 55£ you will find in the starter box 3 Flamers (one can be assembled as a Pyrocaster), 3 Screamers, 10 Pink Horrors (the leader can act as Iridescent) and the Burning Chariot can be assembled as a Herald on Disc of Tzeentch leaving the Exalted Flamer as a stand-alone to complete your collection or magnetize the herald as the Changecaster.

On top of that, to make use of the Split abilities, you will need a box of Blue Horrors and Brimstone Horrors (22.5£) containing 20 miniatures (10 blue and 10 brimstone), that should be enough for your warband of Daemons.

This is by far the most optimal way of getting your warband together, so we just suggest getting a Starter Set + a box of Blue/Brimstone Horrors and you are ready to crack skulls in Warcry!

The Fluxmaster is available in a separate blister for £25.

Tips on painting a Tzeentch Daemons Warband for Warcry

Do you have some sweet looking Tzeentch Daemons painted up?

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

All you have to do is send my some files. You can read more about how to make that happen here.

Tzeentch has been out for a long time with his armies for both Warhammer 40K and Age of Sigmar. Daemons in particular are usable in both game systems, therefore there is plenty of guides on how to paint them.

Warhammer community in particular has plenty of tutorials, from the Blue Horrors using contrast or classic method, Pink Horrors and Brimstone Horrors (minute 16.27) to Screamers and Flamers.

There’s plenty of alternative artists online for example this Pink Horror or this using airbrush.