Age of Sigmar: The Thunda in Thondia – How the Incarnates Work
Careful kicking a fossil in Ghur; it just might stand up and kick you back.
The Adepticon reveals have had a little time to simmer, and the big guy on campus for the Realms is definitely the Krondspine Incarnate of Ghur. This gnarly fusion of bone, magic, and primal ferocity is not only a gorgeous centerpiece, but a nasty addition to the battlefield as well. Included as part of the Thondian Strongpoint terrain kit, it is going to really shake up how armies are built in the Realm of Beasts. “But how can I bring one myself”, you might ask. Well, worry not; I’m here to spill all the bony details and give you your first look at the Realm’s Revenge.
How They Work
Incarnates are not units; rather, they are unique enhancements that a friendly Hero can bind to their will. An Incarnate begins the game bound to a friendly Hero in your army. Each Incarnate can only bond to a single Hero, and each Hero can only have a single bond. Should the bonded Hero die, the Incarnate will go wild. In that state, it is as likely to decimate your own army as it is your opponent’s. If you decide to tame one yourself, you are prevented from bringing Allies. However, you can include it no matter how many Allied points you are allowed.
To represent the ephemeral nature of living magic, the Incarnate has States, from Empowered to Destroyed. These are similar to the Damage Table of standard Behemoths. They are treated as having 18 wounds for the purposes of rules that require that. Should an Incarnate ever be slain without a roll, say by the Brass Orb, it is not slain and loses a State level. Each State also has a Domination Range, which affects its unique abilities.
Every Incarnate starts at State 2, and that can increase or drop for a variety of reasons, determined by the Incarnate. Instead of suffering Wounds, an Incarnate makes a special Battleshock test using 3d6, losing a State if they feel. Each state has If an Incarnate drops to 0, it is slain and removed from the battlefield. While it is Wild, it is treated as a hostile model by both armies. Several Grand Strategies in Thondia rely on having a non-Wild Incarnate on the battlefield, so you’ll want to keep it safe.
Krondspine
The Krondspine is a true monster befitting the Avatar of Ghur. It has a devastating suite of attacks (it can dish out 34 wounds at the highest level) and some nasty abilities. A Wizard bonded to it gets +1 to all magic rolls while in its Domination range, and it can bounce the All-Out Attack command to ALL friendly units in range. It also hates hostile magic, throwing out a -1 penalty to all ENEMY wizards and potentially devouring Endless Spells to gain levels. It even has a unique Monstrous Rampage allowing it to eat nearby spells. The 400 point price tag is a little high, but it is WELL worth it.
What Comes Next?
Next, we can look forward to more of the Realms coming to life. For my money, I’m betting on Ulgu, Hysh, or Chamon. These played heavily into Broken Realms, and I think Shyish is well under Nagash’s control. I hope it’s Ulgu myself, especially if the Season of War is used to launch what I really want…
Will you be adding the Krondspine to your army?
