AN INDEPENDENT WARHAMMER REFERENCE ARCHIVE ONLINE // EST. M026
Index Obscura.THE WHITE DWARF ARCHIVE

RULES·WHITE DWARF 523

Hypnotic Phantasm, Cracked Crypt and Undead Combatants

April 2026·p. 80

THE SHORT VERSION

The Hypnotic Phantasm interferes with the party directly by possessing a challenger and can escape if too many opponents engage it. The Cracked Crypt is an immobile encounter that summons additional undead when attacked and damages challengers who fail to move. Its accompanying Undead Combatant profile supplies the lesser enemies, with model suggestions deliberately broad enough to include several existing collections.

FOLLOW A THREAD

Tower of Blades Hypnotic Phantasm Cracked Crypt Undead Combatant

Back to the original

Find this article in White Dwarf 523, p. 80.

This is an original summary. Refer to your magazine for the complete article, rules, images and painting steps.

KEEP EXPLORING

Another page to turn.

Back to the archive →
RulesWD 523 · pp. 30–43

Titanic Duel

Based on Imperial Knights: Renegade, this standalone game pits two super-heavy combatants against one another using secretly chosen actions and location-based damage. This instalment supplies Questoris and Abhorrent Knight profiles, movement and aiming tables, three missions and a short demonstration battle. Its central tension is deciding whether to fire quickly, spend time on an accurate shot, improve protection or manoeuvre into a decisive melee attack.

Warhammer 40,000Imperial Knights
April 2026Read summary
RulesWD 523 · pp. 32–33

Titanic Duel: Planning and Executing Actions

Each Knight normally spends three action points secretly selecting different actions, then both players reveal their plans and resolve them in a fixed sequence. Cheap snap shots occur before movement, while aimed fire consumes more resources and resolves later; matching actions require a roll-off. Movement can bend around obstacles and is followed by pivoting to face the opponent, so predicting an enemy’s next position matters as much as choosing a powerful weapon.

Warhammer 40,000Imperial Knights
April 2026Read summary
RulesWD 523 · pp. 34–35

Titanic Duel: Attacking, Armour and Critical Damage

Ranged attacks nominate a square on the opponent’s location grid, then scatter horizontally and vertically according to the attack’s accuracy. Melee attacks strike a chosen location directly, making their limited reach exceptionally dangerous. Armour penetration, cover and each weapon’s damage determine whether a location is crippled; destroyed weapons and other damaged systems progressively restrict the Knight until six critically damaged locations bring it down.

Warhammer 40,000Imperial Knights
April 2026Read summary