Lore Attribute(s):
Born of Damnation (Daemons of Chaos):
Whenever a spell from this lore is cast and causes one or more unsaved wounds, choose a unit of Daemonettes or Fiends of Slaanesh within 12" of the caster and roll a D6 for each wound that was caused. Add 1 model of Daemonettes on a roll of a 5 and 6, or a Fiend on a roll of a 6. Given how many of these spells, even a Hex spell in this lore, can cause wounds, then this is going to have a pretty damned good chance of hurting Core infantry and/or Wood Elves. If you really like taking that all Slaanesh list, then this can be a nice thing to have.
Bliss in Torment (Warriors of Chaos):
When a spell from this lore is cast and causes a wound, roll a D6 for each wound caused. For each roll of a 6, the caster's Weapon Skill, Initiative, and Attacks are increased by one. If you like putting your Chaos Sorcerer Lord on a Dragon and surprising opponents that he isn't the typical wimpy caster, then this can be okay. It can also make him more survivable by buffing his Weapon Skill, but if you've ever seen a Chaos Lord's stat line then you know he doesn't need a buff to his stats like other caster Lords would. It's okay, but it's not going to change the game in anyway.
Signature Spell: Lash of Slaanesh
A casting value of 6+ and a range of 24" gets you a Direct Damage spell that works in a line from the front of the caster's arc directly from his base that works like a cannonball. Except this is a cannonball that only hits a strength 3 with Armor Piercing. If you play a lot of Bretonnia, then this is an okay spell. If not, then I wouldn't really bother with it. Now, normally I would be wary of a lore with a piss poor Signature Spell, but in this case fear not good readers, this lore is still pretty scary. I give it a 2 out of 5 and recommendation to very rarely switch for it.
Spell #1: Acquiescence
A Hex spell with a range of 24" and a base casting value of 6+, this spell causes the targeted unit to have Always Strikes Last and Random Movement (D6) until the start of the caster's next magic phase. It can be boosted to have an extended range of 48" for an increased casting value of 9+. For it's casting value, this is arguably the best Hex spell in the game. It will really screw with your opponent's head. ASL and Random Movement, particularly at the beginning of the game, are never a good thing to have to get over. If you roll this spell, never swap for it. It is that good. Particularly if you have a hard time catching those MSU style lists as a Warriors of Chaos army. I give it a 4 out of 5, and recommendation to never swap it.
Spell #2: Pavane of Slaanesh
A Direct Damage spell that targets a single model in a unit with a range of 24" and a casting value of 7+. If the spell is successful then then target must pass a Leadership on 3D6 or suffer a wound with no armor saves allowed. It can be boosted to have a rage of 48" and an increased casting value of 10+. This spell in and of itself shuts up the #1 criticism to running the Lore of Slaanesh. And that argument is that taking Slaanesh takes away your ability to field the Lore of Death. Well guess what? This spell is like Spirit Leech on steroids! Normally forcing a Lord or Hero to take a Leadership test isn't all that big of a deal, but on 3D6, most stuff is not going to pass! I love the casting value and the range of this spell. Absolutely great, I give it another 4 out of 5.
Spell #3: Hysterical Frenzy
Now we get into a spell that I'm not too keen on. This is a spell with a range of 24" and a casting value of 8+ that remains in play. It can be either a Hex spell (if it targets a foe) or an Augment spell (if it targets a friend). Either way, the targeted unit gains the Frenzy special rule that is not lost if the unit is defeated in combat. Should the unit already have Frenzy, their Frenzy gives them +2 Attacks instead of the normal +1. In addition, for the duration of the spell, the unit that this spell was cast on suffers D6 S3 hits at the end of the caster's magic phase. This spell can be very good. It can make Daemonettes into ghetto Witch Elves and make Warriors of Chaos into absolute gore machines. However, unless the unit that this spell is cast on is in combat then Frenzy is just too much of a risk for me. The D6 S3 hits aren't that big of a deal, as most stuff will simply shrug it off. Which means using this as a Hex kind of defeats the purpose. I give it a 3 out of 5, because it can be used to make a horde of Daemonettes no longer laughable. Compared to some of the other spell sin this lore though, it just isn't all that and a bag of chips.
Spell #4: Slicing Shards
A Magic Missile spell with a range of 24" and a casting value of 10+. This spell inflicts D6 S4 Armor Piercing hits. The target must then pass a Leadership test or suffer another round of D6 S4 Armor Piercing hits. Keep testing until the unit passes the test or is removed as a casualty. With the popularity of hordes of bullshit core infantry, this spell can be pretty damned nice. Against Elves or Dwarves, or any other army with really high Leadership, this spell is going to falter. But if you're playing say Skaven or Empire or Undead? This spell will annihilate those guys! I give this spell a 3 out of 5, and recommendation to keep it.
Spell #5: Phantasmagoria
Is that even a real word? Regardless, it's a Hex spell with a range of 24" and a casting value of 10+. Until the start of the caster's next Magic Phase, the target must roll an additional D6 when taking Leadership tests and discard the lowest rolled result. This spell can be boosted to bubble out to effect all enemy units within 24" for an increased casting value of 20+. This spell is insane when combo'd with Slicing Shards, but it's just all around good to. If you want to make sure that a unit with Stubborn or a BSB re-roll is going to actually run away when they get beaten, then this is a pretty nice way to make sure that happens. If you're also running a lot of Fear and/or Terror units (which in a Warriors and Daemons of Chaos army you should have a lot of these) then this can also proved to be very useful. I give it a 4 out of 5, and a recommendation to use it with hellish delight.
Spell #6: Cacophonic Choir
If I had to pick between the most dangerous spells in all of Warhammer Fantasy that do not come from the eight standard lores, it would be a three-way tie between the Dreaded Thirteenth (Skaven), Storm of Ashes (Lore of Hashut), and this one. A Hex spell with a range of 12" and a casting value of 12+, this spell makes the targeted unit suffer 2D6 hits that automatically wound on a roll of a 4+ with no armor saves allowed. If at least one wound is suffered (which believe me, there will be) the target suffers the Always Strikes Last and Random Movement (D6) until the start of the caster's next magic phase. It can be boosted to target all enemies within 12" for an increased casting value of 24+. I have never had a spell bad touch me in such a way as this one. It has literally destroyed my battle-line and reduced my Saurus Warriors into useless piles of shit. Unless you have the Banner of the World Dragon, there is no way to fully protect yourself from the terror that is Cacophonic Choir. I give it a 5 out of 5, and a recommendation to use this spell only if you wish to never make or keep friends.
So that's the Lore of Slaanesh, and before I go into detail for the two armies that can use it I'd like to make one thing very well known. This is without a doubt the best of the three Chaos Lores available. Tzeentch is not that good. Nurgle can be very useful if you want a Beasts substitute. Slaanesh is undeniably the scariest of the three in terms of magical mayhem. I run a Slann build that really trolls in the magic phase. All he does, is rub his dick all over a magic phase and either dick slap enemy magic away or shove it down the other guy's throat. Not even people like Teclis, Mannfred, or the Changer of Ways really bother him. If I see a Level 4 on Slaanesh across from me, that is when I start to get very nervous. Everything about this lore scares me. The range, the variety, the synergy, everything about it is absolutely menacing. What's even worse is that unlike most casters, I know he doesn't have to rely on a Signature Spell to stay viable. Now, two little notes that I think should be said before you go out and start using this lore. First, it needs to be run on a Level 4. The spells are okay individually, but just like the Lore of Life, the Lore of Slaanesh really shows itself when it can combo with itself. Second, if you are new to the game then I do not suggest using this lore. Much like Lore of High Magic, this is a very tactical lore and if you're a new guy then you don't quite have the board-sense to know when, where, and whom the spell should be targeted at. Now that I have that little gush out of the way, let's elaborate.
Daemons of Chaos: This lore makes running an all Slaanesh list actually viable. It doesn't have the durability of a Nurgle list or the sheer killing power of a Khorne list, but it can be scary if it connects in the magic phase. Not to mention when combo'd with Shadow it gets even scarier! Especially vie for the spells that mess with Leadership and Pavane to help cripple the opponent's ability to keep his troops in order. Daemons are random, so make him feel that pain of Daemonic unreliability!
Warriors of Chaos: The best thing about this lore for Warriors of Chaos is that the higher range of most of these spell means running a casting Lord in the back in a bunker suddenly becomes much more viable. One of the things I've noticed about Warriors of Chaos is that their casters always seem to be a little confused as to what they're supposed to be doing. Are they supposed to be tank-like front line magic users or magical war machines? Well, if you haven't quite found a perfect fit, then you can always use this lore and that strategy as a fallback. Not to mention that Hysterical Frenzy cast on pretty much anything in the Warriors of Chaos book is not something anyone wants to deal with.
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