Weekly Waffle #433 – Rune Priest Skjald, Calling the Storm
29th August 2026
The Mojo
Well it’s been an interesting week since the last weekly waffle. I managed to catch up with a friend who I hadn’t seen for way too long. One of those things were work clashes all the time and before you know it months have passed. Anyway a few of us got together to play disk golf and have a chat. Turned out to be really good afternoon.
On the hobby front I’ve managed to make good use of the time I’ve had and I’ve got another operative finished for you. And I’ve also managed to do a little bit of prep work that I’m hoping will keep me on track over the coming weeks.
On The Work Bench
Fourth one down for the Wolf Scouts this week, and this time it’s Rune Priest Skjald taking his turn on the paint station. He’s gone down exactly the same road as the Gunner and the Trapmaster before him, same dark, slightly too cold scheme, same pops of red and yellow to keep him from disappearing into “generic grey Space Marine” territory. Consistency has genuinely been the hardest part of this squad so far, not the individual techniques, just making sure operative four looks like it belongs next to operative one. So far so good, touch wood.
I thought it was worth taking a little bit of time talking through the base because I’m pretty pleased with how it’s turned out. I started with a sheet of cork, but rather than just tearing it up and hoping for the best, I actually picked at the edges to shape it and give a broken edge feel, the kind of ragged texture you get on real weathered stone rather than the smooth curve you get if you’re not paying attention. Small thing, but it makes a real difference once it’s painted up.
Once that was down I went in with some AK Interactive texture paste over the top before getting any actual colour near it, just to build up a bit more of that pitted, aged stone surface before I committed to painting anything. Then it was a case of working through a few shades of grey to sell the stone effect, drybrushing up through the layers the same way I did on the wolves a couple of weeks back.
Last job was the snow, AK Interactive’s snow texture again, dabbed on sparingly rather than slathered everywhere, same logic as before: I only wanted it building up where the wind would realistically pile it against the rock, not just dumped evenly across the whole base. It’s a small effect but it ties the whole squad’s basing together nicely.
For the Skjald himself I’ll let the pictures do the talking, but I’m chuffed with how the details have come out against that dark armour. But what do you guys think? And if you do like it you can check more of my Space Wolves over in the Gallery Section.
(Gallery here)
Tactical deep dive
If the Gunner is the Wolf Scouts’ answer to “what happens if this goes loud,” Rune Priest Skjald is the answer to “what happens if it goes loud on my terms.” He’s the psyker embedded in the pack, and if you’ve read the Gunner breakdown a few weeks back, you’ll already know his name, because he’s the one most Wolf Scout players are relying on to actually summon that Storm everyone else is so keen to stand inside.
The Lore Bit
Rune Priests are Fenris’s answer to the question of what happens when you give a warrior culture that already talks to wolves and reads omens in blizzards an actual, honest to Russ connection to the warp. A Skjald specifically is a Rune Priest attached out to smaller detachments, in this case a Wolf Scout pack operating alone, deep in hostile territory, with no Chapter reinforcements coming if things go wrong. That’s not a comfortable job description for most psykers. For a Fenrisian one, it’s basically the point, casting the runes before a hunt, reading what the elements are about to do, and then, when required, giving them a nudge.
The Stat Line
Skjald runs the same core chassis as the rest of the Wolf Scout roster: APL 3, Move 7″, Save 3+, Wounds 13. Nothing exotic there, it’s what he’s carrying that matters.
Bolt pistol: Atk 4, Hit 3+, Dmg 3/4, Range 8″
Jaws of the World Wolf: Atk 5, Hit 3+, Dmg 3/5, PSYCHIC, Blast 2″, Severe
Thunderclap: Atk 5, Hit 2+, Dmg 2/2, PSYCHIC, Range 6″, Saturate, Seek Light, Stun, Torrent 2″
Runic stave (melee): Atk 5, Hit 3+, Dmg 4/6, PSYCHIC, Shock
That’s a genuinely nasty little psychic arsenal. Jaws of the World Wolf gives you a Blast profile with Severe for chewing through anything that thought it was safe stood next to a mate. Thunderclap is the one that should worry your opponent more than the damage numbers suggest, Torrent means you don’t even need line of sight in the traditional sense, Seek Light ignores obscuring, and Stun on top of a 2+ to hit is a horrible way to shut down whatever was about to do something clever. And if it all goes to combat anyway, the Runic stave hits just as hard as the Gunner’s blade with Shock thrown in for good measure.
(As always, treat exact numbers as a snapshot, always double-check current points and rules against the app or your box’s dossier before you build a list around them, as GW does love a mid-edition tweak.)
Where the Storm Comes In
Skjald has a pre-game trick worth knowing about before you even deploy. Cast the Runes has you roll three D6 after selecting him and setting the results aside: each 1-4 banks you a free Command Re-roll on the firefight ploy during the matching turning point, each 5-6 banks you a Command Point instead. It’s a nice bit of “read the omens” flavour that also just quietly hands you resources for later in the game.
In the kill zone itself, his Call the Storm action is the real headline. For 1AP he can either pick up your Storm marker and drop it back down somewhere in the kill zone, essentially repositioning that all important 6″ bubble to wherever your Gunner, Hunter or Frosteye needs it next, or, alternatively, he can nominate a friendly Wolf Scout to become obscured whenever it’s inside the Storm and more than 3″ from whoever’s currently active. Either use is strong, and which one you pick depends entirely on whether you need offence unlocked or a target protected that turn.
That’s before you even get to Hunting Astartes, the wider faction rule letting Wolf Scouts take two Shoot or two Fight actions in an activation, and the fact that within your own Storm, any friendly Wolf Scout can counteract and choose to change its order first. Skjald isn’t just a psyker bolted onto the squad for flavour, he’s the one deciding where the tactical bubble that makes the rest of the team work actually sits.
Tactics Corner
Treat Skjald as your battlefield conductor rather than your primary damage dealer, even though he’s perfectly capable of doing damage himself. His job, every turning point, is asking “who needs the Storm moved onto them right now,” the Gunner wanting a risk-free supercharge, the Hunter wanting Severe on tap, or a wounded operative that badly needs to be obscured before your opponent’s next activation. Thunderclap is your emergency answer to anyone hiding behind cover or bunched up together, and the Runic stave means he’s not helpless if a fight comes to him, but positioning him to keep casting that Storm where it’s needed is where the games actually get won.
The Verdict
Rune Priest Skjald is the piece that turns the rest of the Wolf Scout list from “a collection of good individual operatives” into an actual functioning team. Ignore his utility and he’s a competent psyker with a couple of solid attacks. Use him properly, and he’s the reason your Gunner never has to gamble on Hot again.
Have you had Skjald pull off a game swinging Storm relocation yet, or is he still finding his feet on your table? Let us know in the comments below.
The Wrap Up
That’s the third Wolf Scout down and painted, which considering how this year’s gone is basically a personal best. Next up I want to get moving on the rest of the pack, though we all know how well “next up” plans tend to go around here. Until then, have a great week and I’ll see you all back here next Saturday.
