Written by: Nephthysis
Treasures of the Necropolis
Magic Weapons - Fists of the Gods
Overview:
The Tomb Kings have an impressive collection of magical weapons at their disposal (as they should, they've only been collecting them for a few millenia). Most of them are oriented toward character killing though, with very little emphasis on rank and file killing (eg the Hordes of Chaos Berserker Sword), and most will leave you with very few defensive options, especially when taken on Princes. Also of note is the lack of a magical bow when one of Nehekara's primary deities was the Asp Goddess who favors archers.
Destroyer of Eternities:
The Big Daddy. The King of Kings. Definitely in the running for most powerful magical weapon among all armies. It's primary drawback is its price. Taking the Destroyer precludes you from taking any magical armor or using a shield. You'll be relegated to a 6+ armor save at best and have only the Collar of Shapesh as any worthwhile protection. This may leave your King more vulnerable than some people like, but the offensive capabilities of the weapon are almost without equal.
The first point of note is that the single attack a King gets from the Incantation of Righteous Smiting during the magic phase can be traded in for the special attack (make sure you carry a copy of the Tomb Kings FAQ with you, as I don't think I've had an opponent yet that believed this at first). This doesn't count toward combat resolution but it sure does shock an opponent to lose 3 models to the King alone, or lose a champion/character before combat even starts. You then of course get to trigger the special attack again during the actual close combat phase. Assuming you got the charge, that's four auto hit, Strength 7 attacks on any character in base to base contact with the King before they get to fight back, and that's IF they've survived the Killing Blow ability. Certainly enough to strike fear into even the toughest Lords. After they face the Destroyer a couple of times opponents will actually be afraid to flank your King carrying unit, because they know if they do not completely slaughter it on the charge (hard to do to our unbreakable units) you can simply move the King to a corner and have base to base contact with up to 5 models.
Crook & Flail of Radiance:
A decent character killer, given that low Initiative is one major weakness of the Tomb King and Prince so the "always strike first" ability is generally welcome. It is drastically overpriced however for what boils down to an extra hand weapon with first strike (first strike ability is usually budgeted at 25 points, and you get no shield or parry bonus with the Crook & Flail). It will also allow a Tomb King (and to a lesser extent a Prince) to remove a good portion of the front rank in the event he gets charged. We don't get the option for a mundane extra hand weapon so you're stuck with this or a common Sword of Battle if you're looking for rank and file killing ability.
Blade of Setep:
It costs a little bit more than some of the other "no armour saves allowed" weapons, but matches some others, as there seems to be no "standard" value of this ability, which is 95% of the time all the effect you will get out of this weapon. However if you know your opponent has a fetish for magical armor, especially armor that is dangerous to your army, such as Magic Resist armor when you have a Casket of Souls, the Blade can be a nasty surprise. Really though it doesn't add enough character killing ability to be worth its points in a "take all comers" when high strength attacks can accomplish the same task nearly as well. We have better character killers.
The Blade of Mourning:
Another overpriced weapon with a very narrow scope of use. You have to win combat for its special abilities to have any effect at all, and very often when we win combat our opponent needs Insane Courage to stay in the fight anyway. It does not double the number of wounds an undead opponent takes from combat resolution and will not affect Stubborn troops. That leaves only a small number of combats where the Blade would actually even come into effect, then your opponent still has to break and get caught for the weapon to earn its points back.
Flail of Skulls:
The Flail costs slightly more than other "double unsaved wounds" weapons, but it does have the benefit that it keeps its +2 strength in the first round of combat. It's a more than decent character killer and a popular choice for Kings or Princes either one, especially those in chariots who are expected to face more than usual "first rounds" as they charge and overrun from one combat into another. Keep in mind though that it has no effect (other than that of a mundane flail) against normal rank and file troops so against most armies you have to get into contact with characters to have it earns its points back which is just another good reason to put the character carrying it into a chariot. Against multiple wound elite units (especially those with larger bases where a Destroyer loses much of its ability) it can really swing the tide of a battle in your favor.
Spear of Antarhak:
The Spear is more of a utility tool than an outright killer as compared to our other weapons. It is also unique in that it is the only magical weapon from our army-specific list that a Tomb Prince can take and still have a respectable armor save. The Spear is of course put to best use on a character who joins an expensive unit, such as Chariots (where he will still get a mundane spear's +1 strength on the charge), Ushabti, or even Tomb Guard where every wound you heal is earning you many points back. There is a combo for a solo King using the Spear, but that is covered in the entry for Scorpion Armor. The Spear's healing effect can even be considered more useful than the Incantation of Summoning for the unit it is in, since the Incantation's entire effect has to be applied to either a character, a character's chariot, or a unit (excluding any characters in that unit), whereas the wounds healed by the Spear can be split up however you like. Overall a useful weapon and popular choice, though you may find yourself wishing you had a weapon with a little more offensive punch than this, especially in a chariot unit whose bane is not breaking the enemy on a charge and getting into a protracted combat.
Serpent Staff:
Complete trash. I include its entry only for the sake of completeness. There is no conceivable reason to ever consider this weapon.
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