The new Chaos Cultists are are a set of solid looking models, but how do their rules stack up? They are loaded for bear. Check them out.
via the Warhammer Community
https://www.warhammer-community.com/2019/08/22/how-to-handle-hostilesgw-homepage-post-1/
Cultists
Those who say heresy doesn’t pay haven’t met the new Cultists in the Blackstone Fortress – these are seriously tooled-up heretics.
With a grenade launcher AND a heavy stubber, these folks put out even more firepower than the Renegade Guardsmen already found on the mysterious space station. When they show up in a group, aim to take these two Cultists out first or else your quest could be over really quickly.
Be careful not to let any of the Cultists get into a position where they are adjacent to more than one of your adventurers. They have a unique action called Full-auto, which makes them deadly in a crowd.
With just two wounds apiece, the Cultists shouldn’t prove too difficult for your skilful explorers to take out but make sure that you do it quickly or you can be mobbed down by sheer weight of numbers.
Cultist Firebrand
Firebrands are reservoirs, their bodies swollen with the fell energies of the Dark Gods, and they can channel these warp powers into torrents of flame. Unfortunately, there aren’t any fire extinguishers on the Blackstone Fortress, so you’ll need to find another way of dealing with the flame-wielding figurehead.* His hellfire torch is deadly at range 2-3 but doesn’t work beyond range 4 so make sure you keep your distance.
If he’s accompanied by a band of Cultists, try and kill him as quickly as you can because he encourages those close by to even greater acts in the name of the Ruinous Powers.
Obsidius Mallex
Of even more concern to the explorers is Obsidius Mallex – the Chaos Lord was left for dead by his followers but was revived by the eldritch energies of the Blackstone Fortress itself. This power coursing through him has left him faster and tougher than he was before – his Move characteristic has improved from 2 to 3, while he’s gone from an impressive 12 Wounds to a daunting 18!
He still takes two actions each time he’s activated, and explorers can’t make any defence rolls against his attacks. In addition, his thunder hammer is now host to a Daemon, making its blows even more dangerous.
If you get too close to Mallex, your quest is going to end very quickly. Your best bet for dealing with the empowered Chaos Lord is to try and give him a wide berth and whittle him down.** Only engage him at close quarters if you’re either ready to deliver the coup de grâce or really desperate! Basically, stay away and pray to the God-Emperor for those critical successes.
Getting Lost
It’s not just the new hostiles that are against you though, it’s the Blackstone Fortress itself! In order to hunt down Mallex and save Precipice, you’ll need to map all of the chambers that you explore for clues and the passages that connect them. Woe betide if you find yourself stuck in the Blackstone Labyrinth!***
While you’re looking for clues as to the whereabouts of Mallex and the four Black Shrines, the menace tracker increases – this is a race against time to take back control of the Blackstone Fortress, prevent the destruction of Precipice and save the entire galaxy!
Think you’ve got what it takes to face up to these threats and emerge victorious? Well, with Blackstone Fortress: Escalation available to pre-order from Saturday
