Dreadblades..... the new Chaos Knights are getting a good preview today giving some insight on just how these monstrosities will work on the tabletop.
via the Warhammer Community
https://www.warhammer-community.com/2019/07/04/chaos-knights-preview-2-dreadbladesgw-homepage-post-2/
Welcome back, Fallen Noble! Today, we’ve got even more goodies from the new Chaos Knights codex to tempt you to the service of the Ruinous Powers, with a look at Dreadblades – Questor Traitoris who operate as lone wolves and mercenaries, offering their immense might in exchange for relics, knowledge or their own dark fiefdoms. Think of them a bit like heretical Freeblades.
What are Dreadblades?
Dreadblades are independent Chaos Knights who serve no single master or household, instead pledging their loyalties in temporary alliances to any warlord or demagogue who can provide them with opportunities for slaughter. There are many reasons a Knight may become a Dreadblade. Some were loyalists who betrayed their former houses for power or out of madness, such as the Hatred of Krastellan, the insane self-declared High Monarch of House Hawkshroud.
Others were unfortunate enough to be captured by Chaos forces and have had their minds shattered by dark rituals and sorcerous torture. The Sire of Doom, for instance, was locked in a state of eternal torment by the Dark Mechanicum, lashing out mindlessly at any it encounters.
Other Dreadblades have simply gone mad after years of slaughter, the violence of their task having taken a heavy toll. Decima, Incarnate Slaughter was the last Knight of House Merridon, driven insane in a brutal final stand against the Tyranids.
How Do They Work?
When you’re assembling your Chaos Knights army, you can opt to give any of your Chaos Knights the Dreadblade keyword. This doesn’t replace its Iconoclast or Infernal keyword, and if they’re part of a Detachment with other Knights with the same keyword, they’ll still benefit from Conquerors Without Mercy or Daemonic Surge in addition to their Dreadblade abilities!
Before each battle, one Dreadblade per Detachment gets a set of Pacts and Damnations. Path to Glory and Galvanised Hull are two examples of some of the deadly Pacts available.
You can pick one Pact or, if you’re feeling lucky, roll to get two! These abilities are balanced by Damnations – rules that represent the somewhat erratic personalities of these dark warriors. Forsaken, for example, stops that Knight benefitting from Stratagems.
Thankfully these Damnations only apply when you fail a Leadership check at the start of each of your turns, meaning most of the time, you should be fine! You can roll for one Damnation or, if you’re looking for a bit more control over which apply, pick two. After all, losing your Ballistic Skill and being incapable of falling back isn’t much a problem when you were intending to rip your foe apart in close combat anyway!
Dreadblades are great for Chaos Knights armies looking for more tactical options – like taking a close-combat-focused Dreadblade Rampager to mix with long-ranged Knights Despoiler and Knights Tyrant – as well as being ideal for mixed Chaos forces looking for a distinctive allied choice.
Fancy grabbing a Dreadblade for your army? These independent reavers can be made from any Knight chassis, meaning you can grab yourself a Knight Despoiler, Knight Tyrant or War Dog today and start building one! Meanwhile, if you’re looking for a conveyor capable of taking a full lance of these dread warriors to battle, the Crusade Case XL will shield them from even the most determined loyalist assaults (and, y’know, the boot of your car).