Ossiarch Bonereapers Army List (2026): 1000 & 2000 Point Lists for AoS 4th Edition

Part of our Ossiarch Bonereapers hub: every Ossiarch Bonereapers guide, lore page and painting tutorial in one place. Browse all Age of Sigmar army lists.

Ossiarch Bonereapers are Nagash’s bone legions: an elite, disciplined army of constructs built from the bones of the dead. Every unit is tough and well armed, and the army works like a machine, with your heroes feeding a pool of discipline points that powers the units around them.

They suit players who like a small number of hard-wearing models, a strong battle line and an army that rewards careful planning. You won’t have many models, but each one is worth a lot. If you enjoy outlasting your opponent rather than racing them, you’ll like this army.

New to the faction? Our Ossiarch Bonereapers army guide covers the background, and our Ossiarch bone-tithe explainer explains where all those bones come from.

A quick note on rules and points

Ossiarch Bonereapers got a new 4th-edition battletome in February 2026, around the time of the Kavalos Vanguard Spearhead. Everything in these lists comes from that battletome and is legal for matched play.

Points in this guide are from the Battle Profiles, October 2026 document (Warhammer Community, 28 October 2026). Check the Warhammer Age of Sigmar app before you play, because points change several times a year.

The 2026-27 General’s Handbook adds optional “Scourge of Aqshy” seasonal rules for the army, including extra artefacts and “Mortisan Refinement” upgrades. We’ve kept to battletome rules, which are easier to learn.

How army building works at 1,000 and 2,000 points

The two standard game sizes are 1,000 points (a quicker game on a smaller board) and 2,000 points (the usual size for events and club nights). Our Age of Sigmar points explained guide goes into more detail. In short:

• Regiments. Your army has 1 to 5 regiments. Each is a Hero plus up to 3 other units, or up to 4 in your general’s regiment.
• Check each Hero’s options. Kavalos heroes (the Liege-Kavalos and Arch-Kavalos Zandtos) can take any Ossiarch unit. The Liege-Mortek and the Mortisans (Soulreaper, Ossifector, Boneshaper and Soulmason) can only take Infantry, plus a Gothizzar Harvester or Mortek Crawler. Cavalry and Teratic Cohort need a Kavalos hero or a Mortarch.
• Subcommanders and Viziers. Some heroes can join another Hero’s regiment as a “Legion Subcommander” or “Mortisan Vizier”, using one of that regiment’s slots. Katakros and Arkhan can take one of each.
• Reinforced units. You can double the size of a unit for double the points, for example 20 Mortek Guard for 200.
• Auxiliary units cost an extra 20 points each after the first in the 2026-27 season. We don’t use any.
• Enhancements. One battle formation, plus one heroic trait and one artefact. Most are free, but Imperious Will costs 20 points.
• Spare points. If you spend at least 50 points less than the limit, you get an extra command point in the first battle round.

List 1: The Kavalos Vanguard (1,000 points)

This list is built on the Kavalos Vanguard Spearhead box: a Liege-Kavalos (which can also be built as Arch-Kavalos Zandtos), ten Kavalos Deathriders and eight Teratic Cohort. Our Ossiarch Bonereapers Spearhead guide covers all three Ossiarch Spearhead boxes. We split the Deathriders into two units of five and add an infantry regiment to hold objectives.

Battle formation: Ruthless Legion. Once per turn in the combat phase, pick a unit that charged and roll a dice: on a 3+ its melee weapons score Critical hits that count as 2 hits for the rest of the turn. That’s great for a cavalry list.

Enhancements: Blade of the Nadir on the Liege-Kavalos, so his weapon can deal extra damage on unmodified 6s to wound. Immaculate Defender on the Soulreaper, which makes Ossiarch infantry wholly within 12″ of him ignore the first damage point allocated to them in the combat phase.

Spare points: The list is 50 points under the limit, which earns you an extra command point in round one.

How it plays: The cavalry regiment is your hammer. When the Deathriders charge, they deal mortal damage to the enemy, and more if the Liege-Kavalos is with them. Afterwards they can ride away again. The Liege-Kavalos can also let a Deathriders unit fight straight after him with +1 to hit. Charge together, then pull back and charge again next turn. The Teratic Cohort can make a free move before the battle and lurch forward in the hero phase. Use them to tie up enemy units or screen your cavalry.

The Soulreaper’s regiment holds your home objectives. Mortek Guard are your battle line, and their shields can make enemy attacks on nearby Ossiarch units less effective. Immortis Guard are bodyguards that blunt enemy units that charge them.

What to buy: Spearhead: Ossiarch Bonereapers (Kavalos Vanguard), a Mortisan Soulreaper, a box of Mortek Guard and Immortis Guard. The Tithe-Reaper Echelon and Mortisan Elite Spearheads also contain the infantry heroes and units used here.

List 2: The Mortarch’s Legion (2,000 points)

Katakros, the Mortarch of the Necropolis, leads a solid legion of infantry with a cavalry wing on the flank. Katakros brings a huge pool of discipline points, which keeps the whole army working at full power.

Battle formation: Border Guards. While your units are in the middle of the board (wholly in neutral territory, or close to both your territory and the enemy’s), their melee weapons get +1 Rend against units that charged. Hold the centre and enemies that charge your infantry line pay a price.

Enhancements: Blade of the Nadir on the Liege-Kavalos and Immaculate Defender on the Soulreaper. Katakros is a unique character, so he can’t take an enhancement.

How it plays: At the start of each battle round, you pick one of your heroes and gain discipline points equal to its Relentless Discipline value. Katakros has a value of 10 (it drops if he’s badly hurt), so keep him safe. Spend the points on boosts such as extra movement, +1 to wound in combat or a better ward save. Katakros also boosts the control scores of nearby units that used a discipline ability, which helps you win objectives. Once a turn, he can try to stop an enemy unit using commands.

The infantry form a wall. The big Mortek Guard block and the Immortis Guard protect Katakros, and the Necropolis Stalkers hit back hard. The Soulreaper’s regiment, with the Gothizzar Harvester and two more Mortek Guard units, holds your side of the board. The cavalry regiment, meanwhile, looks for weak points and empty objectives.

What to buy next: Katakros, a second Kavalos Vanguard or a box of Deathriders, a Gothizzar Harvester and more Mortek Guard. The Tithe-Reaper Echelon Spearhead (a Soulreaper, 20 Mortek Guard, 5 Deathriders and a Gothizzar Harvester) is a cheap way to add most of Regiment 3.

General tactics

Plan your discipline points. You gain them at the start of each battle round and lose any you don’t spend. Decide each round where they’ll matter most, whether that’s a charge, a key fight or an objective you must hold.

Charge with the cavalry, hold with the infantry. Deathriders want to charge, deal their mortal damage, ride out and do it again. Mortek Guard want to stand on objectives and be hard to shift.

Protect your best hero. Your discipline points come from one chosen hero each round, and Katakros generates far fewer if he’s badly damaged. Keep him behind the infantry wall.

Use your elite units carefully. You have fewer models than most armies, so losing a unit to a bad trade hurts. Fight on your terms.

Count your control scores. With few models, you can lose objective battles to big hordes. Discipline abilities and Katakros’s control bonus help you make up the difference.

What to buy first

1. Spearhead: Ossiarch Bonereapers (Kavalos Vanguard). The core of List 1 and the cavalry wing of List 2.
2. Spearhead: Ossiarch Bonereapers (Tithe-Reaper Echelon). A Soulreaper, Mortek Guard, extra Deathriders and a Gothizzar Harvester.
3. Immortis Guard. Tough bodyguards for your heroes.
4. Katakros. The step up to 2,000 points.

Our Ossiarch Bonereapers painting guide and how to paint bone and skulls tutorial will help you get a big bone army painted fast.

Common mistakes

• Putting cavalry under an infantry hero. The Liege-Mortek and Mortisans can only take Infantry (plus a Harvester or Crawler). Deathriders and Teratic Cohort need a Kavalos hero or a Mortarch.
• Wasting discipline points. Unspent points are lost at the end of each battle round.
• Leaving cavalry stuck in combat. Deathriders are at their best when they charge, so ride back out and charge again rather than getting bogged down.
• Forgetting the Teratic Cohort’s free move. They can move before the first battle round begins, which is great for screening or getting into position early.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Kavalos Vanguard Spearhead enough for 1,000 points?

It covers 590 points of List 1. Add a Mortisan Soulreaper, Mortek Guard and Immortis Guard and you have a full army with points to spare.

Which Ossiarch Spearhead should I buy?

The Kavalos Vanguard is the newest and gives you a fast cavalry force. The Tithe-Reaper Echelon gives you lots of infantry, and the Mortisan Elite gives you elite heroes and monsters. All three are useful at 2,000 points.

Are Ossiarch Bonereapers good for beginners?

Yes. The units are tough and forgiving, and there are fewer models to paint. The discipline points take a couple of games to learn, but they soon become the fun part of the army.

Can I take Arkhan the Black or Nagash?

Both are in the current battle profiles. Arkhan costs 430 points and fits well in a 2,000-point list in place of Katakros. Nagash costs 790 points, which is too much for most games.

Is 1,000 points a real game size?

Yes. The core rules list 1,000 and 2,000 points as the usual sizes. Start at 1,000 and build up.

How many models are in a 1,000-point Ossiarch Bonereapers army?

List 1 on this page has 33 models: a Liege-Kavalos, ten Kavalos Deathriders, eight Teratic Cohort, a Mortisan Soulreaper, ten Mortek Guard and three Immortis Guard. That’s a small army by Age of Sigmar standards, which makes it quick to paint. Every model counts, though, so avoid bad trades.

Is Katakros worth taking at 1,000 points?

Usually not. At 450 points he’s almost half of a 1,000-point army, which leaves very little room for the units his discipline points are meant to power. He works much better at 2,000 points, where he leads a full infantry legion like List 2. At 1,000 points, a Liege-Kavalos or Mortisan Soulreaper gives you more for your points.

Should I use the Scourge of Aqshy rules for Ossiarch Bonereapers?

Only once you know the army. The Scourge of Aqshy rules are an optional seasonal layer from the 2026-27 General’s Handbook, adding extra artefacts and Mortisan Refinement upgrades. The lists on this page stick to battletome rules, which are easier to learn. Check with your opponent or event organiser before using the seasonal rules.

Related guides

See every faction in our Age of Sigmar army lists hub, and read about the Mortarch in who is Katakros. For other Death armies, try our Soulblight Gravelords army list or Flesh-eater Courts army list.