“I have taken great pains not to laugh at the actions of aliens, nor to weep at them or to hate them, but to understand them.”

–Aun’shi, Tau Ethereal

Fantasy Flight Games is proud to announce Gift of the Ethereals, the third War Pack in the Warlord cycle for Warhammer 40,000: Conquest!

Fight for the cause of the greater good with the newest Conquest War Pack. This sixty-card expansion offers a full playset of each unit, support, event, and attachment, continuing the main themes of the Warlord cycle and giving you the cards you need to conquer the Traxis sector. In this War Pack, you’ll find more Nurgle units for the armies of Chaos, powerful Eldar Psykers, new battle tactics for the Space Marines, and more. No matter which factions you play, you’re sure to find new cards to swell your armies and revolutionize your warlord’s role forever.

In addition, this War Pack introduces a new Tau warlord and his signature squad, creating a brand-new style of play for the Tau.

Ethereal Majesty

The Tau empire is organized into a series of castes and the Ethereals reign above all. They command the Tau, enacting the precepts of the greater good across the galaxy. At times, they even lead warriors into battle, inspiring them to new heights of greatness and valor. In Warhammer 40,000: Conquest, the Tau can gain powerful benefits from the presence of an Ethereal, such as the new warlord introduced in Gift of the Ethereals.

The Tau’s new warlord in the Traxis sector is the renowned Aun’shi (Gift of the Ethereals, 45). Beloved by his troops for his unflinching courage and devotion, Aun’shi brings new levels of combat power to your other Tau units. While Aun’shi is at a planet, every Tau unit you control at the planet gains the Armorbane keyword, denying your opponent the opportunity to use shields to protect damage.

Unfortunately, Aun’shi cannot remain on the front lines forever. He also bears a Forced Reaction that requires him to move to HQ after resolving an attack. Although this ability denies Aun’shi’s overarching benefit to your Tau armies by removing him from the battle, in certain circumstances, it allows him to attack and retreat immediately, rather than simply exhausting to retreat, like other warlords.

Aun’shi is aided in his efforts to inspire the Tau by four Ethereal Envoys (Gift of the Ethereals, 46). These units also possess the text, “Forced Reaction: After this unit resolves its attack, move it to your HQ.” Like Aun’shi, each Ethereal Envoy also has the all-important Ethereal trait. Although these Envoys grant no wide-spread bonuses to your Tau units, many abilities on new and upcoming Tau cards are only triggered in the presence of an Ethereal. Sending your Ethereal Envoys to the front lines of battle activates these powerful special abilities.

You can start to reap the rewards of your Ethereals with Aun’shi’s Sanctum (Gift of the Ethereals, 47). By exhausting this support, you can ready a target unit at a planet with one of your Ethereal units. Perhaps the most potent application of this card is to ready a unit freshly arrived from your HQ, allowing it to strike in the first round of combat, rather than waiting for all units to refresh. Alternatively, you could ready a unit after each of your opponent’s units have struck, allowing it to attack without fear of retribution.

You can increase the power of your Ethereals even more with an Honor Blade (Gift of the Ethereals, 48). This attachment may only be attached to an Ethereal unit, which gains the text, “Each other Tau unit you control at this planet get +1 ATK.” Equipping Aun’shi or one of your Ethereal Envoys with an Honor Blade allows your other Tau units to strike harder in combat than ever before.

Sometimes, even your Ethereal units can’t be everywhere at once. When you have plenty of units that need the presence of an Ethereal to lead them in battle, you can make use of Ethereal Wisdom (Gift of the Ethereals, 49). You’ll find two copies of this free event in Aun’shi’s signature squad, and by playing it, you grant a Tau unit a raised attack value and the Ethereal trait, allowing the power of the Ethereals to spread throughout the galaxy, raising the zeal of your warriors and drenching your enemies with fear.

Into the Traxis Sector

Whether you side with the Tau Ethereals, ride with the White Scars, or lead Dark Eldar mercenaries, you’ll find the cards to conquer the Traxis sector in the Gift of the Ethereals War Pack. Lead your armies into battle, and look for Gift of the Ethereals at your local retailer in the fourth quarter of 2014!