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Written by: Deceiver

Tomb King

A Tomb King is the first choice of many to lead their army to battle. Boasting a great profile, a King provides a great basis for any army. Made for combat, he can take on other Lord characters with a decent chance of success, and as well as being able to give a boost to the all important Tomb King magic phase, his wargear and magic item selections can act as a center point for the army’s tactics.

Strengths
Good Statline
‘My Will be Done!’
The Curse
S7 able
Good Wargear selection
Core Chariots
Banner for Skeleton Warriors

Weaknesses
Lack of decent Armour / save
Flammable
Slow
Short Spell Range


The King in General
Equipping him with a Great Weapon is the only way for a Tomb King army to have a S7 model in combat. This seems to be the key Strength value in Fantasy, able to wound most enemies on 2+, modifying armour saves by -4, and able to splinter chariots.

Possibly one of the most popular reasons for taking a King is the fact that he makes Chariots a Core choice for the army instead of Special. This is great whether you are playing an offensive of defensive lists, as it allows you take these great units and still keep your options open for taking the other fantastic Special choices available.

Also having a King gives one of your Skeleton units the option of taking a magic banner. There are still only 2 banner choices available for them, but if the King is in a Skeleton warrior unit the common choice for them is the Banner of the Undying Legion.

My Will Be Done!
Very few other armies have a Lord level character that can fight and also provide such a key support to the army in the magic phase. He comes with the best two spells available to the Tomb Kings, and despite their short range they can come in very useful when the King is positioned correctly.

With 2 spells at power level D6 each, if you can make them key spells then even if you roll a 1, the enemy has to throw a dispel dice to stop you. If you roll a 4 or higher, the opponent will be looking at rolling two dice to stop the spell going through. That’s 2-4 of the opponents Dispel dice every turn, usually quite a good portion of their dispel pool. And if his spells are successful, even better!

The Curse
If your King is unfortunate enough to be slain in combat, this gives you one last chance to hurt the enemy character or unit that killed him.



Tomb King on Foot
This seems to be the preferred option for most Kings when used in a defensive army. The King generally sits in a large unit of Tomb Guard or Skeleton Warriors.

From there he is able to use MWBD on his own and other nearby units. In early turns it is great to have an extra spell or two to boost your ranged damage potential, as most opponents tend to ignore extra movement spells early on.

Once you get into the later turns of the game, the King really comes into his own. His movement spell plays a key roll here. If you are unable to charge successfully in the movement phase as normal, then the King can really help you out. With his two spells, he can get himself and his own unit into combat, as well as being able to provide support by getting a second nearby unit to also charge.

Of course it is unlikely he will pull this off alone, but with good magic support from priests, it is unlikely the opponent will be able to stop all your spells. Especially as their scrolls have probably been used to stop the Casket of Souls or Screaming Skull Catapult in earlier turns.

Tomb King on Chariot
A chariot is the best option for a King leading an offensive army, but is also a viable option for use in a more defensive list.

Usually he is accompanied by a unit of 3 chariots, to make a fast, hard hitting unit. Something Tomb Kings often lack.

From his chariot the Kings MWBD becomes incredibly useful. The unit even has the potential for a first turn charge, and if your opponent has other magic to worry about later on, he will be less decisive about dispelling these early spells. Of course if they are already in combat, he can use Smiting to start the killing before the combat phase even begins.

As it is likely your priests will be elsewhere, unable to keep their magic in range of the faster moving chariots whilst remaining safe themselves, having the magical support from the King himself makes the unit far more potent and much more of a worry for the enemy to deal with. Especially as there is often a good chance to get a first turn charge.


Common Tomb King Magic Item Choices (see Treasures of the Necropolis section for more information)

Weapons:
Destroyer of Eternities (foot), Considered by many to be the ultimate item for Tomb King character killer.

Flail of Skulls, a good choice for a King running into tough enemy characters.

Spear of Antarhak, Keeping him and his unit healed in combat, especially against weaker enemies.

Armour:
Armour of the Ages, For added Survivability.

Talismans:
Golden Ankhra, Standard ward save.

Crown of Kings, Fantastic for making his magic even more of a threat.

Collar of Shapesh, As useful as the Golden Ankhra, with an acceptable downside considering its cost.

Golden Eye of Rah-Nutt (chariot), Protecting his precious chariot from high strength hits.

Enchanted:
Chariot of Fire (chariot), Increasing the damage he can do on the charge.

Vambraces of the Sun, Another option for a Character going into Challenges.


Useful item Combinations
‘The Challenger’: Destroyer of Eternities + Collar of Shapesh.
The best chance you have of going up against a powerful enemy character and coming out on top.

‘The Survivor’: Spear of Antarhak + Armour of Ages + Collar of Shapesh + Shield.
A great setup for a King who will be seeing a lot of combat, chances are he will still be alive at the end of it

‘The Road Block’: Spear of Antarhak + Scorpion Armour + Cloak of the Dunes + Shield
Not seen very often as it is not the best use for a King, but famous for being able to take a fully ranked up unit head on and holding them in place. Quite a risky option though.