Age of Sigmar: How to Play Daughters of Khaine
Today we look into the Daughters of Khaine faction of Age of Sigmar. Murder never looked so good.
Now that she’s a fully formed Goddess, Morathi has taken Khaine’s place as the head of the Daughters of Khaine. In the wake of her great ritual and the betrayal it spawned, Morathi now leads an army that is basically a faction unto itself. Owing allegiance to no one but herself. Here are a few tips and tricks for navigating the new Daughters of Khaine battletome.
Who Are the Daughters of Khaine?
The Daughters divide themselves into Sects which worship different aspects of the lost god Khaine, within those sects they follow a strict hierarchy. At the pinnacle is Morathi, the High Oracle, she who speaks with the iron voice of the God and directly beneath her are the High Priestesses – Bloodwrack Medusae, Hag Queens and Slaughter Queens.
The true Khainites are warriors and divided into two groups, the Scáthborn and the Sisterhood of Blood. The Scáthborn are only partially aelvish in form, souls stolen from the imprisoned god Slaanesh and reformed by Morathi in the Máthcoir – the great cauldron. The Sisterhood are naturally born Witch Aelves and Sisters of Slaughter and only amongst the Kraith are they ranked as highly as the Scáthborn although in all sects, Morathi may choose the most faithful and beautiful to be granted the high honour of being changed into a Medusae.
The duties of the Daughters of Khaine are not limitted to bloody ritual and battlefield duties, they also serve as gladiators, sword-dancers, assassins, and spies.
Why Play Daughters of Khaine?
One of the deadliest close combat forces in the entire game, the Daughters of Khaine are the true representation of a glass scalpel army. They move fast, hit hard, and only become deadlier as they work themselves into a mad fury. But they had better destroy, or at least cripple, their targets- every strike back will do real damage against this low wound-count, low resilience army.
Strengths
- You may have the single most powerful special character in the game. Not the strongest, or the best caster, or the toughest, but enough of all three to make her off the charts.
- The Blood Rites table is pretty nuts, if you can survive a protracted game.
- A strong selection of magic, prayers, and combat strength to quickly shift strategies.
Weaknesses
- Your shooting is really limited to one unit (Blood Stalkers).
- You’re skinny elves in chainmail bikinis, and your defenses reflect that.
- Hard to crack armies can blunt you if you aren’t very tactical.
Daughters of Khaine Signature Rules
The following rules apply to all Daughters of Khaine:
- All-Out Slaughter – A special command ability that gives one of your units exploding 6s. Makes a big block of Witch Aelves living blenders.
- Battle Fury – A special Heroic Action that allows one of your non-Monster heroes to add 2 to all their attacks. In a combat army like this one, that’s huge.
- Blood Rites – A table that ticks up every turn, adding a new and terrifying ability to your entire army. The longer the game goes, the more dangerous you are.
- Fanatical Faith – 6+ ward save across the board. Helps to make up for the chainmail bikinis.
Top Daughters of Khaine Units
1. Cauldron of Blood (both varieties)
An amazing centerpiece model, monster of combat, and potent support lynchpin, to say nothing of the hero on its back. There are few DoK armies that don’t include this beastie.
2. High Gladiatrix
An incredible new hero that can turn your murder brides up to 12. She can also assassinate weakened heroes, so use her to deal with chafe support and keep your army moving.
3. Melusai Ironscale
If you prefer your murder a little more snakey, the Ironsacle is the choice for you. Boasting a catapulting effect that will make your snakes even stronger whenever she kills something, she’s an extraordinary combat monster. Even if you don’t take many snakes, you might want to consider her just for the kill potential.
4. Witch Aelves
Your primary battleline and the murder ladies of legend. Even better in the new tome, they can dish out an extraordinary amount of damage in a single turn with the right support. You can also tune them for either offense or defense. But even in defense they’re super deadly. For my money, I’d take a unit of both.
5. Blood Stalkers
An extremely powerful shooting unit to keep your combat units covered. They can dish out mortal wounds, and they’re no slouch in combat should the enemy try to tie them down.
6. Khainite Shadowstalkers
The Shadowstalkers make an excellent light-skirmish and harassment unit. Just mobile and numerous enough to steal a lone objective and be very annoying, while also able to teleport around the field causing trouble.
7. Khinerai Heartrenders
While they aren’t the most deadly or resilient of troops, the winged Khinerai more than make up for it in battlefield opportunism and playing the mission. A well played unit of Khinerai will score at least two Battle Tactics a game, and a skillessly played pair of units of them will at least score one. Huge utility for your bloody coven.
8. Morathi
She’s kind of a big deal around here. Any solo faction with a deity-level model will somewhat center around them as an army. Supremely killy and with a guaranteed minimum lifespan (check out that Iron Heart of Khaine ability!), Morathi is everything you’d want from a model that is over a third of your 2K list.
Sample Daughters of Khaine Army (2K pts)
Army: Daughters of Khaine
Leaders
Morathi-Khaine
The Shadow Queen
Melusai Ironscale
– General
Battleline
15 x Blood Stalkers
– Reinforced x 2
10 x Blood Stalkers
– Reinforced x 1
5 x Blood Sisters
10 x Witch Aelves
– Pairs of Sacrificial Knives
How to Play Daughters of Khaine
Move fast, hit hard, and try not to leave any survivors. It’s pretty likely you won’t survive a protracted battle, so try to dictate every engagement.
For Khaine!
