The Lords of Skavendom emerge from the shadows. Here is the last part of the "End Times: Thanquol review!

This is it. My final part of the "Thanquol" review is finally here. So far this one's the best entry in the "End Times" series, apart maybe from the "Nagash". But how will its character section fare, when compared to other parts of this supplement?

Thanquol is brimming with special characters. It has 4 versions of Verminlords, including one that is unique, buffed up Thanquol and a single dwarf hero, who's also an Incarnate. For the sake of this post I'll bhe reviewing only the named characters. Generic Verminlords will be covered in my "End Times" unit review, after the "Archaon".

1. Thanquol and Boneripper, Ascendant Grey Seer and Enhanced Bodyguard

Finally he got the recognition that he deserves (photo by Arklight Studio)

Gotrek and Felix's favorite Nemesis returns and he's better than ever! Costing a hefty 650 points, and sporting a combined profile with his bodyguard, Thanquol is a best in both magic and CC phase... altough he's a tricky character to use. First of all he's a Terror-inducing, Unbreakable Level 4 Wizard that can substitue any of his spells (Spells of Ruin of Plague) for the infamous, "Dreaded 13th Spell". Shame they didn't make him a Level 5, but with his Warpstone Tokens, which he now has a lot more (D6+2), he can generally cast a lot easier than before. Oh and since he's a class A Warpstone junkie, he no longer suffers from rolling a 1 when he consumes one of them. That's very good and guarantees an almost sure way of casting a spell each turn, except maybe the strongest ones.

His magic items are generally very useful. Staff of the Horned Rat gives him a +1 to casting attempts with both of his lores. Bear in mind that it won't improve Thanquol's chances with the "Dreaded 13th Spell", as it doesn't belong to either Plague or Ruin lores. Warp-amulet still has a chance of bringing back a single wound each turn, but this time it's ona 5+. Nice, but the odds are too slim for my liking. Still it is better than nothing I guess. Finally there are his Warpstone Tokens, which I've covered already.

While Thanquol casts, Bonerippers smashes. Well, at least in theory. His Warpfire projectors are awesome and should not be changed for Warpfire Braziers. Generally they are a Strength 5, Multiple Wounds (D3), Magical Attack and Quick to Fire weapons of pure ownage. They are Move or Fire, but still... Awesome. The only drawback with them is the "Wildly Off Target" special rule, which means that when rolling a Misfire, they automatically hit the nearest friendly unit (within 12'' of Thanquol and Boneripper) instead with D6 hits. This is a very Skaven-like special rule and can make for potential shenanigans during battle. As for the braziers, they give him a +1 Strength, Flaming and Magical Attacks with Multiple Wounds (D3). "Storm of Attacks" special rule guarantees a re-roll to Wound (but removes an Extra Attack for two weapons) and the "Warp fumes" inflict a Wound with no AS allowed on every unit (friend or foe) that's in base contact with him during close combat, as long as they fail a Toughness test. This one's great for Low T armies, but the Warpfire projectors are just better, especially since Thanquol and his mount should not be fighting at all.

Generally Thanquol is a great character to use, however he has his drawbacks. Having only a 6+ save and a 4+ ward save is... problematic. It basically means that Thanquol should avoid close combat, which is strange since he can obviously be kitted out to participate in the thick of fighting. His statline is also somewhat dissapointing. Having a Strength 6 and 6 attacks is nice, but his Initiative is "only" 5. This means that any elven character will be problematic for him to deal with. Thanquol's 8 Wounds can keep him in the fight for some time, but my general advice is to camp him behind your lines and spam spells like maniac. Keep him out of CC.

2. Lord Skreech Verminking, The Rat King

The boss of all backstabbers is here

The architect of Skaven ascension, this Uber-Verminlord is no slouch in combat himself. A real beast, costing the same ammount of points as Thanquol and Boneripper (650 to be precise), Skreech has much better stats than the infamous duo, while also being Immune to Psychology and Scurrying Away, as well as having the Terror specual rule, just like they do. Packing an Initiative of 10, Movement of 8 and 5 Attacks delivered at Strength 6, The Rat King can rule the battlefield with ease... altough his armour save sucks, being a measly 5+ ward. He also has fewer wounds ("only" 6) than the chief Grey Seer. Fortunately his skills make him perfect for a role of a hit-and-run special character, that can jump to an enemy, stab him a few times and then scurry away.

First of all he's a Daemon, which means that all his attacks are magical. Then there's his biggest asset: he can re-roll failed attempts at casting the "Dreaded 13th spell", thanks to the "Master of Ruin" special rule! Yup, this means that of all Skaven, Skreech is certainly the most dangerous caster, altough bear in mind that the "End Times" made the "Dreaded..." much more hard to cast. Still, this rule makes him the king of the magic phase, or should I say... the Rat King?

...

Ok, ok, I'm sorry. I won't do that again.

"Protection of the Horned Rat" grants him the aforementioned 5+ ward save. Kinda meh, but still better than nothing. Skreech cannot be the army's general, which is also iffy, but at least forces you to have a minimum of two, potentialy deadly models on the table. Finally he is armed with two Magic Weapons: a Doom Glaive and a Plaguereaper and you must chose which one to use at the beginning of the CC phase. Skip the Doom Glaive as its only rule is the Multiple Wounds (D3) special rule. Plaguereaper is much better, granting Skreech the Always Strike First special rule. Trust me, you will want to strike first with this guy, since his save is shitty beyond compare and his Toughness of 6 can be easily mitigated by most special characters in the "End Times".

Skreech's biggest drawbacks are the lack of a decent save and being unable to skitter leap. He can be terrifying in close combat with his Greater Daemon stats, but just as with Thanquol, his real strength lies in the magic department. Spam "The Dreaded 13th Spell" from the safety of your own lines and watch your opponent cry. It's that simple.

3. Ungrim, Incarnate of Fire

He's a real hothead alright! (picture by Lord Ravenhelm)

The Dwarfs can do magic now apparently. This just shows how much Games Workshop cares about its source material. Anyway Ungrim is now the embodiment of Aqshy, the fire wind. He's a perfect example of a character that tries too hard to be cool and fails miserably. He's a 425 points special character that got a slight buff to his stats in the "End Times" and can dish out flaming attacks like there's no tommorow. Weapon Skill 9 and Strength 5 are nice when combined with 5 attacks, but he is still slow (Movement 3) and he has only 4 Wounds. Not good Ungrim, me ol' mate. He reatins all of his old skills like Ancestral Grudge, Daemon Slayer, Deathblow and so on, but lost the "Slayer King" special rule. Instead he now has Flaming Attacks (Axe of Dargo which also grants him Killing Blow and a +2 Stregth bonus) and a Strength 4 breath weapon from his "Breath of Aqshy" skill. Finally he's the first, dwarven spell caster that does not turn to stone, thanks to the "Lord of Fire" rule. This gives him a level 5, bound magic missile spell that deals 2D6 S4 flaming hits and has a range of 24''. Not bad, but there's just one problem: the aboundance of flame-proof skills and spells, available for nearly every army out there. Seriously, can you even imagine pitting this guy against "End Times" Tyrion? That would be pathetic, like watching a kid trying to beat up a grown man with his tiny, innefectual fists. Granted that his Toughness, coupled with decent enough armor and ward saves, can make him more survivable than a vanilla Dwarf lord, but in the end he is still a very average and subpar special character, that can be countered very easily by most of his opponents. Unless your're fighting Tomb Kings or Beastmen, I suggest to leave this guy at home and chose someone from the Dwarf Army Book. Ungrim's simply not worth it.

Also he's a fucking Dwarf spellcaster. Seriously, what the hell GW? This is a betrayal, worthy of a Grudge!

So that's it for the "End Times: Thanquol". So far this is the best ET book out there. Both its special rules, formations and unique characters are well balanced and nearly all have a few drawbacks, whic makes them "cheese free". If only "Khaine" was as good as this entry, I wouldn't have to be pissed at it so terribly. Now there's only "Archaon" left for me to review and this "End Times" mega-review will come to an end. But what will I do after that. eh? Now that's a good question.

Until next time

Xathrodox86