Pick Summon Guidelines
Summoning provides an exciting element to Age of Sigmar games, adding unique tactics and capturing the lore of the warhammer universe. Discuss the way you want to balance summoning with your opponent before your battle.
As a guideline Age of Balance suggest three options:
1) Your planned summon warscrolls count towards the total (default):
The reason this is the default is because it allows different types of armies to compete with each other. So an army with no wizards can have a balanced game with an army with many wizards. It also considers the time the game lasts, since every summoned unit adds to the game length. This is now the "official' system employed for "Matched Play" games.
2) Use the "Bound Summoning" Rules:
The basic premise of "Bound Summoning" is that you can summon one unit per spell ability, and you must maintain control over the summoned unit by re-casting the summoning spell each hero phase, or lose the unit. This has proven to be a lot of fun, especially in more narrative campaign battles using Battleplans. Check the Bound Summoning link for more details.
3) Unlimited Summoning:
This can be fun as long as both players have strong wizards and lots of models in their collection. Veteran players often enjoy this as a way to dust off models in their collection and get them into a battle! Expect the battle to go on endlessly, and make sure to stock up on beer and soda pop before you start!
Warscrolls that Add Models
Getting free models as a result of an ability can shift the balance dramatically. Here are some guidelines to maintain game balance:
Ghoul Kings (all versions): You must pay the normal cost of any warscrolls you intend to summon with a Ghoul King.
Courtiers (all versions): The models added from the first roll are "free". Additional models are normal cost after that (model cannot be recycled unless they were paid for).
Varghulf Courtier: A Varghulf costs 2 warscrolls
Karanak: Allow 1/2 Warscroll of Flesh Hounds at no cost.
Tzeentch Spawn Generators: Allow 1 spawn free.
Morbidex Twiceborn: Allow 1/2 Warscroll of Nurglings free.
Neferata: Mortarch of Blood: Pay an additional 1/2 scroll to activate this ability (or ignore it)
Vlad Von Carstein: Curse Soul: 1 free Wight King per game
Engine of the Gods: 14-17: You may summon 1/2 Seraphon unit, once per game. Treat further 14-17 results as a 1-13 result of your choice.
Durthu: Tree Singing: set up 1 "Citadel Forest" (or equivalent) per turn (counts as a "Sylvaneth Wyldwood")
Branchwraith: Roused To Wrath: May be successfully cast only once per game
Gaunt Summoner: Book of Profane Secrets: May summon 1/2 of any Daemon Warscroll through a REALMGATE, once per game.
Great Bray-Shaman: Savage Dominion: May summon any CHAOS MONSTER without the HERO keyword for 1 additional warscroll, once per game.
Notes
Nagash
The balancing value of Nagash depends greatly on how players choose to apply his summoning ability. For example, players can set Nagash's summoning limit to 3 units or 8 units, depending on how awesome they wish Nagash to be. The Nagash player can choose whether to take the double unit bonus or not, as each unit will still count against his summoning limit. As a rough guideline, count Nagash as two warscrolls for no summoning; 4 warscrolls for 3 summon limit, and 6+ warscrolls for an 8 summon limit.
