In a Nutshell; The Lore of Beasts

Lore Attribute: Wildheart
This is another pretty hand attribute to have. If a spell from the Lore of Beasts targets a unit of war beasts, cavalry, monstrous cavalry, chariots, monsters, swarms, or anything from the Beastmen codex, then the casting difficulty of the spell is reduced by one. If you play Beastmen, Bretonnians, Ogres, or an army with a shit-ton of cav and/or monsters, than this an attribute that can very much make an easier time of having to cast a spell. And not just a particular kind of spell, both offensive and defensive magics work provided that the targeted unit meets the above listed material. I think my one complaint about this attribute is that it doesn't include Lizardmen in this description. What's up with that? I would complain against Beastmen for having an unfair advantage, but considering that their army is in worse condition than my Bretonnians, I will refrain from doing so. Overall, this is a useful attribute in some cases, but if you run all infantry blocks of standard troops, than you might not find it that helpful overall.

Signature Spell: Wyssan's Wildform
Much like Flame Storm, I've kinda already gone over this spell. but I'll type it in to fill up some space anyway. It's an Augment spell with a casting value of 10+ and a range of 12"that grants a targeted unit +1 Strength and +1 Toughness until the start of the caster's next magic phase. It can be boosted to have a range of 24" for an increased casting value of 13+. Can we say, hell yes?! I mean, this spell can turn even the most standard rank-and-file Empire troops into a serious meat grinder of a unit. I suppose for a Signature Spell it is a little expensive, but the rewards it reaps are so totally worth the price of this spell. Excellent spell, one of the spells both my Lizardmen and Bretonnians really benefit from, easily a 5 out 5.

Spell #1: The Flock of Doom
It's such a shame that after perhaps one of the best spells in the lore comes the absolute most horrible spell in the entire lore and perhaps the game itself. This is a Magic Missile Spell with a range of 24" that inflicts 2D6 hits at an incredibly underwhelming Strength value of 2. It has a base casting value of 5+, but if you want to increase the range to 48" then it has a casting value of 8+. Whoop-de-shit. Seriously what is that going to inflict? Even the least protected chaff are going to shrug this spell off like it's not a big deal. Why? BECAUSE IT IS NO FUCKING BIG DEAL!!! It doesn't matter if it's 2D6 hits or 100D6 hits, at S2 this spell isn't going to do diddly squat. Bretonnian Mounted Yeomen will laugh this spell of like it's nothing, because that's practically what it is. Apart from having a laughably low casting value, there's no redeeming quality of this spell. If I wanted a Magic Missile that could actually do something, I'd run lore of Fire or take the Ruby Ring of Ruin. 1 out 5 on the scale.

Spell #2: Pann's Impenetrable Pelt
Another Augment spell in this lore, this is spell targets a single friendly character within 12". This can be the caster himself is the player so wishes. On a roll of an 8+, the targeted character gets +3 Toughness until the start of the caster's next magic phase. This spell can be boosted to bubble out so as to include all friendly characters within 12" of the caster, including the caster himself for an increased casting value of 16+. If you run an Ogre Gut Star, Bretonnian Lances filled with Paladins and/or Lords, or a horde of Bestigore with characters, this spell is awesome. However, it does have the caveat of only targeting characters. In lower point games, this spell may not be too effective, especially compared to Wyssan's. I know a lot of people who swear by this spell as a means to keeping their caster alive if he's targeted in a unit or all by his lonesome, but too me it just seems a little lackluster to me. Especially compared to it's bigger twin brother, which is coming up. I give this spell a 3 out 5. It's by no means bad, but it's a bit too situational to be considered as one of the best Augment spells in the game.

Spell #3: The Amber Spear
This spell is a Magic Missile with a range of 24" and a casting value of 9+. The way it works is basically a S6 bolt-thrower (meaning after it hits and kills the first target it drops in S by one when it hits the next one in line, it keeps doing this until it fails to kill). The only difference being that this spell also has the D3 Multiple Wounds special rule. In addition, you can't take armor saves against wounds caused by the Amber Spear. It can be boosted to have an initial Strength value of 10, and have the D6 Multiple Wounds rule in place of the D3 one but for a casting value of 15+. Remember when I said Burning Head could be improved by adding a few special rules to it? Well, here it is! Amber Spear is a very nice Magic Missile for targeting enemy characters inside bunkers, but it really shines through when you chuck it on a character mounted on a monster or flying steed who's getting very annoying. I cannot tell you how many times I have killed my girlfriend's Dreadlord on a Black Dragon with a little Skink Priest chucking this spell out. I love you honey! I can't say this is the best MM in the game however, it does have three serious drawbacks. One, it acts like a bolththrower, so unless you get on a flank, this things going to hit 5 people at most if their in horde formation. Two, it's range is only mediocre, making it very difficult to deal competitively with other farther ranged spells like Fireball or Urannon's Thunderbolt. Three, you're going to almost always want to boost this thing if you chuck it at anything with three or more ranks, meaning it's probably more expensive then most MM you can cast for cheap. D6 wounds is nothing to laugh at. However, unlike other spells, this one has the potential for inflicting the most damage when it's boosted. Plus, it's a great way to deal with heavily armored infantry or monster cavalry. One Skink Priest with this on the flank of a brick of Demigryph Knights means no more Demigryphs. Great spell, I give it a 4 out 5.

Spell #4: The Curse of Anraheir
The first and only Hex in the Lore of Beasts, this spell fits a niche almost like Flame Cage from the Lore of Fire. It has a range of 36" and a base casting value of 10+. The targeted enemy unit suffers -1 to-hit on both close combat and shooting attacks. In addition the unit treats all terrain as dangerous terrain, and fails the test on 1 or a 2. This spell can be boosted to have a range of 72" and the new casting value becomes 13+. This spell destroys chariots and cavalry the way I destroy cheeseburgers on the dollar menu at Mickey D's. While this spell relies heavily on the presence of terrain, something I love but most fantasy players despise with a burning passion, it can be really effective when there's a river on the board. I have actually lost games because a Lance of my Bretonnians charged over a river with this spells on, and over half the unit was lost due to the effects of this spell. The -1 to-hit is also not something to look over. Any enemy unit that looks to make a charge on you the next turn, throw this on them to make them think twice, especially if it's over a river or a forest or something. And, if you want to get real dirty, this spell is also a great way to handle those annoying avoidance style Wood Elf armies. Watch the litte tree-humping pussies leap to their deaths as they cross their beloved wooded terrain! BWAHAHAHAHA!!!!... Ahem, yes. Well all in all this is a good spell. but it's again very much situation on the layout of the battlefield. So, I have to penalize it and give it a 3 out 5.

Spell #5: The Savage Beast of Horros
Another Augment spell with a range of 12" and a casting value of 10+. Much like Pann's Impenetrable Pelt, it only targets a single friendly character. It gives that character +3 Strength and +3 Attacks. It can be boosted to hit every character within 12" of the caster, including the caster himself/herself on a 20+. While Pann's seems to be limited in it's use, Savage Beasts is most certainly not. Keep in mind, the characters that I cast this on, are Lizardmen Old-Bloods/Scar Veterans and Bretonnian Knight Lord/Paladin. Picture a S4 Bretonnian Lord with Heroic Killing Blow, a 1+ re-rollable armor save, the Blessing of the Lady, and some helpful magic weapon, that now has 7 Strength 7 Attacks. Mathematically, he will get the HKB attack off, and will one-shot whatever he's fighting. Plus, it's reduced by one to cast because he's a cavalry model! While one can argue that Pann's helps protect characters, I'd be a lot more comfortable with my Combat Lord kitted out for bear then make him a bit more tough. While again, not a perfect Augment, and I still prefer the mass boosts that Wyssan's give to a horde, but when I load my Bretonnian Lances up with Paladin walls, this spell when boosted is so dangerous and really does help when you get stuck grinding with a lance of Bretonnians. Again, this spell is a bit too selective for my personal tastes, so other people besides me may not find it as useful as I do. Thus, I give it a 4 out 5.

Spell #6: Transformation of Kadon
The final spell in this lore is perhaps the biggest disappointment to me as a personal preference. I ragged on it in an earlier post, so I'm just going to type it and let you figure the problems with this spell for yourself and/or look at my prior post on this spell (it's in a Top 5 spell list). This Augment targets the caster, and for a 16+ casting value, you can transform the caster into either a Feral Manticore, Black Hydra, or a Horned Dragon. Once transformed, you can't use any of the magical items, mundane equipment, or cast spells anymore. The transformed caster can remain in a unit if he was in one originally, unless there's no room, in that case the spell no longer works. However, the unit can be reordered in order for the new monster to fit. Any wounds aquired between transformations carries over. For a 20+ boosted version of the spell, you can turn the caster into either a Mountain Chimera or a Great Fire Dragon. I ripped on this spell enough for six people as it is, so I'll just let you stew over that. 1 out of 5, and that's all I got to say about that.

So Lore of Beasts is the inverse of Lore of Fire. Instead of focusing on dealing damage, it focuses on boosting your units. It's also not the best lore to take on anything more than a Level 2. I've met some Bretonnian players who swear by it on their Prophetess, but it always seems like such a waste to me. This lore is much more effective in diversity compared to it's flaming cousin. Augments are useful in almost any build that can be concieved of of. MSU, Hordes, Gun Lines, it doesn't matter, the Augments in the lore can be useful in almost every situation, making this a popular choice for hero-level casters in tournaments all over the place. If I had to pick my personal three favorite spells from this lore, I'd have to go with Wyssan's Wildform, The Curse of Anraheir, and Savage Beast of Horros. As for the three stinkers, I'm thinking Flock of Doom, Pann's Impenetrable Pelt, and Transformation of Kadon. So that's Lore of Beasts, and stay tuned for the next one in the series about Metal Magic.