Welcome to the Ahriman Tactica.......Constantly Changing
- This is up to date as of June 1st, 2017. Apologies for any errors.
Introduction
Ahriman has a participated in some pretty significant events in the Warhammer 40,000 universe and each edition of the game has brought new rules for him. If you are interested to see what he is capable of in the 8th edition of 40k, read on and learn why you should (or should not) use Ahriman in your army. For the sake of brevity, this article assumes that you understand the mechanics of the Psychic Phase in 40k so be sure to read up on them!
Psykers in 8th Edition
For the sake of brevity, this article assumes that you understand the mechanics of the Psychic Phase in 40k. Be sure to read up on them!
Ahriman's Statline in 8th edition
131pts
Movement: 6"
Weapon Skill: 2+
Ballistic Skill: 2+
Strength: 4
Toughness: 4
Wounds: 5
Attacks: 4
Leadership: 9
Save: 3+
Ahriman has the same stats as a Chaos Lord, and uses Psychic Powers better than a Sorcerer.
Ahriman's Keywords
Faction: Chaos, Tzeentch, Heretic Astartes, Thousand Sons
Keywords: Character, Infantry, Sorcerer, Psyker, Ahriman
Ahriman's Equipment
Ahriman's Inferno Bolt Pistol is identical to the ones carried by Exalted Sorcerers and Aspiring Sorcerers, with -2 AP.
The Black Staff of Ahriman is a Force Stave that causes 3 damage instead of d3 damage like other Forces Staves.
Ahriman has Frag & Krak Grenades like most Space Marine characters.
For +35pts, Ahriman can take a Disc of Tzeentch. If he does so, he loses the INFANTRY keyword but gains the DAEMON, CAVALRY and FLY keywords. We will look at the disc later.
Ahriman's Special Abilities
Ahriman follows the typical Age of Sigmar (or, if you wish, New 40k) design model of having named characters be boosted versions of generic HQ types. There are a few rules that he shares with Exalted Sorcerers and a few things that are upgrades.
Death to the False Emperor: If Ahriman attacks a model with the IMPERIUM keyword in the Fight Phase, each To Hit roll of a 6 generates 1 extra attack.
Sigil of Corruption: Ahriman has a 4+ Invulnerable Save
Lord of the Thousand Sons: You can re-roll Invulnerable saving throws of 1 made for friendly Thousand Sons Infantry units within 6" of this model. People are already debating whether or not this applies to Ahriman as well as his buddies.. My opinion is yes, but talk to your group.
Ahriman can attempt to manifest three psychic powers in each friendly Psychic Phase, and attempt to deny three psychic powers in each enemy Psychic Phase. Whenever Ahriman attempts to manifest OR resist a psychic power, add 1 to his Psychic Test or Deny the Witch Test.
Ahriman's Psychic Powers
Ahriman knows Smite, Infernal Gaze, Warptime and Prescience. The last three are from the Dark Hereticus Psychic Power tree on page 11 of the Index: Chaos book, while Smite is in the Psychic Phase section of the Core Rules.
Ahriman As the Warlord
Ahriman will likely be your Warlord in a small game of under 1000pts. However, if you are playing with multiple detachments and might have something like Abaddon or Kairos Fateweaver, this could change...
There are three Warlord Traits that you can choose from.
Legendary Fighter: +1 Attack until the end of the Fight Phase if you charged that turn. (helpful if you see yourself charging a weaker opponent)
Inspiring Leader: Friendly units within 6" of the Warlord can add 1 to their Leadership characteristic. (helpful if you need to outlast an enemy)
Tenacious Survivor: When a wound is suffered, ignore the damage on a 6+ (even Mortal Wounds, which can't be saved by Armor or Invulnerables)
For someone who should be using 3 Psychic Powers per turn, it's very important that you have mitigation for Perils of the Warp. If you are using Strategems, you can use a Command Re-roll to avoid double 1s or double 6s from a Psychic Test, and the 6+ from Tenacious Survivor helps mitigate damage done from a bad Perils if it goes through anyway.
IMPORTANT: Warlord Traits are chosen right before deployment, which means you can change this each game you play. Nice to know!
"Bruh. Why Take Ahriman Instead of a Chaos Sorcerer?"
An extra wound, extra WS and BS and synergy with Thousand Sons thanks to "Lord of the Thousand Sons"
"Bruh. Why Take Ahriman Instead of an Exalted Sorcerer?"
Better Invulnerable Save, better Psychic Tests and Deny the Witch Tests. That said, it makes sense to take another Exalted Sorcerer in the list for better board coverage thanks to "Lord of the Thousand Sons," which the Exalted Sorcerer also has!
"Bruh. Why Take Ahriman Instead of Magnus?"
"Should Ahriman Take a Disc of Tzeentch?
As mentioned above in his equipment options, Ahriman can take a Disc of Tzeentch for +35pts. It can do a measly pathetic attack, which is better than nothing I suppose, and can trigger Death to the False Emperor on a 6 so that's cool I guess. The real reason you take a disc is for the 12" movement. Warptime, a critical power for us, is only 3". The additional Fly movement afforded to us by the disc means that we can better position Ahriman to ensure that the spells are applied exactly where we need them.
There are, in my opinion, more downsides to using a disc than running Ahriman on foot and I'd like to help you be aware of them.
Removing the Infantry keyword by taking a disc means that Ahriman no longer benefits from "Lord of the Thousand Sons," though he still provides the special rule to Thousand Sons Infantry near him.
Also, it's just another way to goof up and get caught in the open with no units to hide behind. I believe that the Disc of Tzeentch is better saved for the Exalted Sorcerers. Let them be the ones out front getting shot to pieces while claiming objectives and slinging spells.. and with 3+/5++ and 5 wounds , they might just survive.
The best way to use a Disc of Tzeentch is to move, cast Infernal Gaze and Smite, then Warptime for a quick move back to safety. Unlike the turboboost of 7th ed, this is not reliable.. but its a way.
************MORE TO COME AFTER MORE PLAYTESTING! STAY TUNED!
Ahriman In Game
