Unit Preview: The Lord of Lies

After the Berserkers and the Nagarri, we’re diving into the rules of our third new kit today. The rest of the faction balance updates will then launch alongside the Clash of Kings 2025 book very soon with every other faction.

So let’s check out the rules for a centrepiece model with some serious ‘main character energy’!

The Lord of Lies – The Rules

The Lord of Lies has just whispered in our ears that it has the below special rules, so let’s start there:

Avatar of Oskan: This unit may not be removed from play under any circumstances.

The Fenulian Plot: Break a mirror. If the number of mirror pieces is even, then-

Wait, wait, WAIT! This is all another one of those lies, isn’t it? The cunning devil…

The Lord of Lies – The (True) Rules

Right, enough nonsense – here are the real stats for Oskan’s favoured servant:

The Lord of Lies had a brief run in the Forces of Abyss army list during Second Edition, before his rules evolved into the current Ba’el.

But for the latest release, the he’s making a stunning comeback, both as an amazing resin miniature and as a unique upgrade to the existing Archfiend. Being the cunning foe that he is, the Lord of Lies brings some unique tricks to the table, including the ability to counter the buffs of his enemies…

Of special significance, this unit has the new Seeds of Distrust special rule, which means nearby enemy units cannot gain special rules from any aura effects. It’s almost as if he’s planting doubt into the heads of the opposing ranks: “oh, don’t listen to them…they’re sending you to your death…they can’t be trusted…”

As well as being extremely characterful, this is incredibly disruptive and will cause your opponent to rethink their normal battle tactics!

The Lord of Lies – The Model

Let’s check back in with Dave from the Mantic Studio, and find out a little more about what sets this striking new kit apart from the other Abyssals:

‘He’s a better class of demon: standing taller than other archfiends with an intelligent grin, baroque armour, and carrying a huge symbol of power – Oskan’s Black Axe.’

If you know your Kings of War lore*, you’ll know all about Oskan and how his axe was used to create the Abyss (and indeed his quite epic fall from power).

So if you thought it looked a little oversized then YOU’RE RIGHT – this is a powerful and symbolic weapon from an ancient time, once wielded by the former Celestian that went badder-than-bad…

*Make sure to catch up in the FREE World of Pannithor downloadable book!

We hope you’ve enjoyed this preview of the new units – we’ll be shipping the Forces of the Abyss from next Monday (23rd September), so there’s still time today and over the weekend to get your order in among the first wave to dispatch.

We can’t wait to see your new armies and hobby projects hitting the battlefield soon!