Unofficial Warhammer Blogs

“Wuz betta den one choppa? Two choppas! Two choppas is one more… is one times da… is lots more fun! Waaagh!” - Chopmo, Dung Heap Philosopher

Even the most stable Orc is only a hairs breadth from coming completely unglued in the heat of battle. It is to the great relief of their opponents and allies alike that most of them manage to keep it together. There are some Orcs, however, that just can’t be bothered with that sort of thing. These are simple creatures – simply violent, simply well armed, simply a bloody nightmare to keep from running blindly into the fray – and they are among the most deadly of opponents one will ever face in the heat of a melee. These are Choppas, named for their weapon, and their weapon named for them, and their frenzy is to be feared.

Choppa Specialty
At the heart of the Choppa is a deadly warrior, but his true power begins to shine only as he lets himself be carried away by the frenzy of battle. As his morale rises, the Choppa quickly works himself into a frothing rage. The more he fights the more berserk he becomes, his attacks bombarding the enemy in a ceaseless onslaught. His frenzy makes the Choppa bold, opening up new possibilities for attack which would be far too dangerous or difficult to attempt otherwise. These moves further enhance his power and capabilities, opening even more potential attacks as the fight unfolds.

Playing as a Choppa
Playing a Choppa is straight forward. Get in the fight, and stay there as long as you can without getting yourself killed. The longer you’re in a fight, the more your morale builds and the more berserk you become. This makes your attacks more powerful and unlocks new devastating abilities. However, the use of these abilities depletes your morale and thus reduces your combat strength. You must decide whether it’s more important to maintain your berserker frenzy or unleash a powerful attack upon your foe. You must also remember that you are less well armored than your Black Orc cousins, and generally less durable. The fighting itself may be simple, but strategy is required to reach and maintain your peak effectiveness.

Fighting Choppas
The Choppa takes time to ramp up to full effectiveness, so it is best to eliminate him early in the battle. If that is not immediately possible, you’ll need to reduce or impede the Choppa’s ability to gain morale and keep him from flying into a berserk frenzy. Using anti-morale attacks will slow his climb to power, giving you the opportunity to take him out before he sends you home hurting.

The Choppa Look

“Sticks ‘n’ stones’ll break my bones, but Gork and Mork’ll smash yer ‘ead to bits if’n you don’t sod off you big bugger!”
- Gahzbag, Goblin Shaman telling off a Giant

He’s got Waaagh!, and he’s not afraid to use it! What more can you say about a lad who gets the big Waaagh! going when the boyz roll out? The Shaman channels the primal bloodlust of the Greenskins into effects both beneficial and baleful. He keeps the lads up and running far beyond their normal capabilities and calls down the wrath of the twin deities, Gork and Mork, onto his enemies. The one feeds the other and around he goes, delivering a deadly combination of healing magic and stomping, pummeling power without pause.

Shaman Specialty
Greenskins live for battle, and fighting provides the strange and twisted power that fuels their magic. By participating in battle – calling down the wrath of Gork and Mork, or just being up in the fight with the lads – the Shaman taps into the collective frenzy to gain Waaagh! power. This gathered Waaagh! energy drives the strength of his supporting magic to new heights. With Waaagh! power blazing in his eyes, his spells can heal more wounds or empower his allies to achieve feats of unbelievable destruction.

Playing as a Shaman
As a Shaman, you’ll have to walk a careful line in balancing your offensive and support abilities. You can achieve the greatest rate of healing by focusing on that skill exclusively. You can maximize your rate of damage by focusing purely on those abilities. However, focusing on a single talent will lessen your overall impact on the battle. The strength your support skills gain from an ongoing Waaagh! is significant. Using your offensive magic to contribute directly to the fight will increase the power of your support magic, allowing you to better help your group.

Fighting the Shaman
With the Shaman’s power to support and enhance his allies, he is at his strongest when he fights with a team. With this in mind, you’d be advised to take the earliest opportunity to eliminate him – an opportunity his group mates will do their best to deny you. In each fight you must carefully weigh the opposition, and determine the best time to strike at the Shaman. Attack too early and you risk facing deadly reprisals from the Shaman’s uninjured allies. Attack too late and you may lack the power to overcome the groups Waaagh! enhanced defenses.

The Shaman Look
Lightly armored in tattered goblin robes (with critters and bits stuck on)
Carries an elaborate shaman’s staff (with more critters and nastier bits)
Kitted out with shamanistic trappings (Still more critters and bits)

“There can be no rest in the Eternal War, for the Dark Gods and their chosen servants will never rest until the world truly becomes a Realm of Chaos”

In the icy wastes north of Kislev dwell nomadic tribes of barbarians known throughout the Empire as the Northmen. Sometimes a powerful leader will arise among these savage humans, uniting the tribes into a great warhost that marches south toward Kislev and the Empire. At such times as this, the Northmen seek only bloodshed and conquest, for they are willing servants of the inscrutable Chaos gods.

The gods of Chaos are much more active in the lives of their worshippers than are the gods of other cultures. They reward their followers immediately when they are pleased, but are no less swift when demonstrating their displeasure with a devotee. A Chaos god can often show his favor by way of “marking” an individual with his symbol. This symbol bestows powers commensurate with the sphere of influence that the god controls. Further gifts and mutations are often bestowed if the god continues to be pleased with the works of his subject.

The most powerful and favored warriors among these human worshippers of Chaos are called Champions, and are exceptionally powerful in battle. Among them, strength is authority, and so these Champions are also the leaders among their people. Such creatures are so potent and so mutated they can scarcely be called human any longer. They tend to wield massive weapons that a normal man would struggle to lift, and are clad in Chaos Armor that is bound to their skin. These Champions of Chaos are among the most powerful and terrifying adversaries in all the world.

The Northmen that accompany their Champions into battle are called Marauders and often fight beside inhuman creatures such as the fearsome Beastmen. Sometimes they will even share the battlefield with creatures borne of pure Chaos energy: Daemons.

The Age of Reckoning is ushered in as a Warhost of the god Tzeentch, the Changer of Ways, marches on the Empire. Leading this terrifying army of evil is a powerful Champion named Tchar’zanek.

Orcs are the largest of the greenskin species. They are bigger, more aggressive, and more muscular than their smaller cousins, the Goblins, Hobgoblins, and tiny Snotlings. Orcs continue to grow throughout their lives and their skin darkens with age. The strongest and most powerful Orcs grow to become Black Orcs, marked by their increased size and darker skin.

Orcs are not bright by any means, but they do possess an animalistic awareness of social structure. They are bullies who impose their will on anyone they think is weaker than they. There is nothing an Orc loves more than to fight. If they lack other opponents, they will fight amongst themselves. Such battles are always bloody affairs, for Orcs are fearsome foes, even when wounded. They feel no pain and fear nothing.

An especially powerful Orc will rise to the top of his tribe by way of ruthless savagery and victory in personal combat. If he is able to defeat the current Warboss, he will assume that position. If he is especially strong-willed, the new Warboss may be able to lead the entire tribe into Waaagh! while still fending off challenges to his leadership from within.

Orcs fight with primitive weapons that are little more than big chunks of scrap metal. They give these weapons such descriptive names as “choppas”, “bashas” and “smashas”, and they wield them with brutal strength.

Black Orc the career path

“Now den, some times what da boyz need is a lad what can take a beating, and beat back! Dey need a lad wif a serious pair of tusks! Dem needs a Black Orc!”
- Grumlok, Orc Warboss on Strategy

“Da bigger da Orc, da stronger da Orc. Da stronger da Orc, da more dat’s Orc’s da boss. No wonder da Black Orcs is always da bosses!”
- Splinta, a Goblin in the Bloody Sun Boyz tribe

Armed and armoured to fight in the thick of melee as a warrior and tanker, the Black Orc matches physical hardiness with a down and dirty brawler’s fighting style that makes him the heart of any war band. With choppa and shield in hand, he can face down any foe unshaken. However, it is his unique approach to fighting that makes him as deadly with his fists as with either of those tools. He’ll knock you down so you can’t fight back, and then kick you while you’re down. There’s no honor among Greenskins, and there’s no such thing as a fair fight – and that’s the way he likes it!

The Black Orc Specialty

The Black Orc’s fighting style might best be described as brawling. He attacks with all the tools available – fists, feet, elbows, shoulders, and assorted other spiky bits, including weapons. His various attacks are designed to jar, disorient, or otherwise disable his enemy. Each of these conditions leaves the enemy vulnerable to yet more punishment. This comes in the form of other attacks which deliver additional effects based on the target’s condition. The Black Orc’s use of these tools revolves around the philosophy that the best defense is indeed a good offense.

Playing as a Black Orc

Combat for a Black Orc revolves around engaging and defeating enemies one at a time, while weathering the fire of their allies. As a front line fighter, the Black Orc is well equipped to withstand the attacks of his enemies. Though protected by shield and armor, and possessing a hearty constitution, his greatest strength lies in his ability to disable his primary opponent. His use of jarring blows and unexpected attacks allow the Black Orc to exploit the openings they create to reduce the enemy’s ability to fight back.

Fighting Black Orcs

When you fight a Black Orc it’s most important to know your enemy and his abilities. This allows you to counter them and keep him from reaching the potential of his deadly power. He will always have the tools to engage you, so there’s little sense in trying to get around him. If you’re aware of his abilities – especially the multiple attacks he can chain off of one another – you can maneuver and break his chains, denying him maximum performance. Maneuverability, selective engagement, and an intimate knowledge of your enemy’s abilities are the keys to defeating the Black Orc.