Warhammer 40k - Detachment Review 5 - Thousand Sons, Cult of Magic

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Hello everyone!

Part of the Review Challenge is to Review all of the Data sheets and Detachment Rules of the World Eaters, Thousands Sons and Death Guard. I have now completed all of the Datasheets but now I need to do the Detachment rules. I've done one for World Eaters and now it is time for 1x of the Death Guard Detachments.

A New Season of Reviews - A Challenge accepted!

The nefarious trio of World Eaters, Death Guard and Thousand Sons are set to get their new Codexes next. Actually, the great FOUR are each getting their favourite Legion's new Codexes but Emperor's Children did not have an actual Index before.

Anyway. I was speaking to my friend nicolaasmuller@nicolaasmuller about how my Review posts might not make a lot of money for me, but that cumulatively and on average some of them do good and overall there is an average that at least means that there is good movement of income into the Hobby Fund and that it would grow from there.

We were throwing around some numbers and looking at the average of my last 10 Review Posts, 20 Review posts and 30 Review Posts and we could come up with a range of how much I should theoretically be making across a large sample size of completing the remainder of the reviews for the nefarious trio mentioned above.

So Nicolaas says to me something along the lines of: That would be pretty cool if you could do it in like, a month. Maybe do like 2 a day.

Alteration So nicolaasmuller@nicolaasmuller and I worked out that firstly - due to family obligations, I had missed out on some days not being able to blog at all and having no laptop with me and more on the way... and the fact that he had said 2x posts a day from the start would have made it a 40 day challenge. I shall adjust that number below going forward...

So I explained it would be a little bit more than that but sure... it would be cool... is that a challenge? And yeah... here I am... Challenge accepted. 馃槑

It is now Day 38 of the Challenge.

Totals so far: 70/70 Datasheets done, 3/3 Army Rules done, 3/6 Detachment Rules done. Total 76/79.

Time elapsed: 95%
Progress completed: 96.20%

Army Rule Recap

Cabal of Sorcerers gives you the ability to generate Cabal Points from all of the Sorcerers in the army. You then use the Cabal Points to do various Rituals which are like free spells.

They are:

  • Weaver of Fates (Psychic)
  • Temporal Surge (Psychic)
  • Echoes of the Warp (Psychic)
  • Doombolt (Psychic)
  • Twist of Fate (Psychic)

Then you take the Cult of Magic and get the following Detachment rule:

Detachment Rule - Kindred Sorcery

During the Command Phase select one of the following rules to apply until your next Command Phase:

MALEVOLENT CHARGE

Psychic Weapons equipped by Thousand Sons models in your army have the Lethal Hits ability. (So 6's to Hit cause automatic Wounds.)

PSYCHIC MAELSTROM

Psychic Weapons equipped by Thousand Sons models in your army have the Sustained Hits 1 ability. (So 6's to Hit cause additional hits.)

WRATH OF THE IMMATERIUM

Psychic Weapons equipped by Thousand Sons models in your army have the Devastating Wounds ability. (So 6's to Wound cause automatic Mortal Wounds.)

Thoughts

These are great of course and it all has to do with what sort of targets that you need to kill:

  • Anti-High Toughness
  • Anti-Horde
  • Anti-Invul Saves

Enhancements

Every Detachment has their own Enhancements to put on Characters. You cannot put 2 Enhancements on 1 hero, Epic Heros cannot take theim either and you are limited to 3 of the 4.

Here are the Enhancements for the Cult of Magic:

Athenaean Scrolls - 20pts

If the bearer is on the board and not battle Shocked, it generates 1 more Cabal Point.

Seems pretty straight forward. But the subtle part is that this SHOULD be on a unit that you don't plan on hurling at the enemy.

Lord of Forbidden Lore - 35pts

This model can use a Ritual that was already used by another model in the same turn.

This allows you to double up on that Doombolt or other Ritual you want to rely on.

Arcane Vortex - 25pts

Adds 1 to Strength and Damage of Psychic weapons equipped to this model.

Quite obviously good on something with great Psychic Shooting attacks!

Umbralefic Crystal - 20pts

Once per game in the Command Phase use this Enchancement to pick up the bearer and its unit and put them in reserves. Then bring them down like Deep Strike anywhere on the board.

A great re-deploy ability! All sorts of shenanigans is possible with this enhancement!


Stratagems

Stratagems are used in the battle as an elective rule that can be employed in crucial moments. All armies have access to Universal Stratagems but each Detachment has their very own Stratagems that they can use.

This is what the Cult of Magic can do.

Warp Sight - 2CP

Used in the Shooting phase by one of your Psykers on a target they can see.

After that all other Psychic weapons that shoot at that enemy unit have the Indirect Fire and Ignore Cover rule.

So this means that if you try hide from the magic shooting, one of the Sorcerers needs to see you and then everyone can shoot at you.

Sorcerous Might - 1CP

Used in the Shooting phase. One unit's Psychic shooting weapons get +9" to the range of the weapon.

Really good for extending 18" to 27" on most shooting attacks.

Destined by Fate - 1CP

Used in any phase when a saving throw is failed on a Psyker unit. Change the damage of that attack to 0.

Used on Magnus and Daemon Princes or even Sorcerers that are about to die to save their butts.

Devastating Sorcery - 1CP

Used in the shooting phase on 1 unit about to shoot. Psychic shooting attacks can re-roll to Hit and re-roll to Wound.

Greatly increases the success of a psychic attack. Also allows you to fish for 6's on the Hit and/or Wound for the Kindred Sorcery abilities.

Ensorcelled Infusion - 1CP

Used in the Shooting phase by a unit that is about to shoot. All inferno bolt pistols, inferno boltguns, inferno combi-bolters and inferno combi-weapons equipped by this unit have a Strength of 5 and the Psychic keyword.

This is massive because it means that the Kindered Sorcery and the Enhancements that affect Pcychic weapons now affect these weapons!

Psychic Dominion - 1CP

Used in any phase after an enemy unit has selected its targets. Until the end of the phase any Psychic weapons that hit this unit have the Hazardous rule and this unit has a 4+ Feel No Pain ability against Psychic attacks.


Conclusion

I have never played against this but is seems incredibly strong. Massive damage output abilities and some Redeployment shenanigans!

Solid Detachment abilities!

Thank you for reading this post!

Warhammer Review Library

You can find all my previous links on this post: Warhammer 40k Links Container Post! 13/02/2025

I shall leave Army and Detachment rules here as well as World Eaters, Death Guard and Thousand Sons!

Army Rule and Detachment Rule Reviews

FactionDetachmentReview Number
Agents of the ImperiumArmy Rule #2
AeldariArmy Rule #4
Astra MilitarumArmy Rule #1
Astra MilitarumCombined RegimentDetachment Rule #1
Astra MilitarumBridgehead StrikeDetachment Rule #2
Death GuardArmy Rule Review #6
Death GuardPlague CompanyDetachment Review #4
Space MarinesArmy Rule #3
Thousand SonsArmy Rule #7
World EatersArmy Rule #5
World EatersBerzerker WarbandDetachment Review #3

Datasheet Review list (Alphabetical)

FactionUnitReview Number
Death GuardBiologus Putrifier#5
Death GuardBlightlord Terminators#10
Death GuardChaos Lord#36
Death GuardDeath Guard Chaos Lord in Terminator Armor#256
Death GuardDeath Guard Chaos Spawn#259
Death GuardDeath Guard Daemon Prince#265
Death GuardDeath Guard Daemon Prince with Wings#268
Death GuardDeath Guard Defiler#271
Death GuardDeath Guard Helbrute#274
Death GuardDeath Guard Icon Bearer#277
Death GuardDeath Guard Land Raider#280
Death GuardDeath Guard Predator Annihilator#283
Death GuardDeath Guard Predator Destructor#286
Death GuardDeath Guard Rhino#289
Death GuardDeath Guard Sorcerer in Terminator Armour#292
Death GuardDeathshroud Terminators#295
Death GuardFoetid Bloat-Drone#298
Death GuardFoul Blightspawn#301
Death GuardLord of Contagion#52
Death GuardLord of Virulence#304
Death GuardTallyman#39
Death GuardMalignant Plaguecaster#71
Death GuardMiasmic Malignifier#307
Death GuardMortarion#310
Death GuardMyphitic Blight-haulers#313
Death GuardNoxious Blightbringer#315
Death GuardPlagueburst Crawler#317
Death GuardPlague Marines#319
Death GuardPlague Surgeon#321
Death GuardPoxwalkers#323
Death GuardTyphus#324
Thousand SonsAhriman#108
Thousand SonsAhriman on Disc of Tzeentch#109
Thousand SonsExalted Sorcerer#59
Thousand SonsExalted Sorcerer on Disc of Tzeetch#257
Thousand SonsInfernal Master#260
Thousand SonsMagnus the Red#49
Thousand SonsMutalith Vortex Beast#263
Thousand SonsRubric Marines#266
Thousand SonsScarab Occult Terminators#269
Thousand SonsThousand Sons Chaos Spawn#272
Thousand SonsThousand Sons Cultists#275
Thousand SonsThousand Sons Daemon Prince#278
Thousand SonsThousand Sons Daemon Prince with Wings#281
Thousand SonsThousand Sons Defiler#284
Thousand SonsThousand Sons Forgefiend#287
Thousand SonsThousand Sons Helbrute#290
Thousand SonsThousand Sons Heldrake#293
Thousand SonsThousand Sons Land Raider#296
Thousand SonsThousand Sons Maulerfiend#299
Thousand SonsThousand Sons Predator Annihilator#302
Thousand SonsThousand Sons Predator Destructor#304
Thousand SonsThousand Sons Rhino#308
Thousand SonsThousand Sons Sorcerer#311
Thousand SonsThousand Sons Sorcerer in Terminator Armour#314
Thousand SonsThousand Sons Vindicator#316
Thousand SonsTzaangors#318
Thousand SonsTzaangor Enlightened#320
Thousand SonsTzaangor Shaman#322
World EatersAngron#255
World EatersEightbound#258
World EatersExalted Eightbound#261
World EatersJakhals#264
World EatersKharn the Betrayer#267
World EatersKhorne Berzerkers#270
World EatersKhorne Lord of Skulls#273
World EatersLord Invocatus#100
World EatersWorld Eaters Chaos Spawn#18
World EatersWorld Eaters Daemon Prince#85
World EatersWorld Eaters Daemon Prince with Wings#276
World EatersWorld Eaters Defiler#279
World EatersWorld Eaters Forgefiend#282
World EatersWorld Eaters Helbrute#285
World EatersWorld Eaters Heldrake#288
World EatersWorld Eaters Land Raider#312
World EatersWorld Eaters Lord on Juggernaut#291
World EatersWorld Eaters Master of Executions#294
World EatersWorld Eaters Maulerfiend#298
World EatersWorld Eaters Predator Annihilator#300
World EatersWorld Eaters Predator Destructor#303
World EatersWorld Eaters Rhino#306
World EatersWorld Eaters Terminators#309

Thank you for reading!

** Images in this post are from the Warhammer app, or Warhammer.com or otherwise referenced.

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Warhammer 40k - Detachment Review 5 - Thousand Sons, Cult of Magic | Ecency