If the Warlords are responsible for shaping Kingdoms of Men army builds, the Champions are responsible for making them work on the tabletop.

What I like about the Champion section is that nearly every option provides utility first and damage second. Kingdoms of Men doesn’t have Champions that are designed to carry games on their own. Instead, they support your main combat blocks, provide critical Inspiring coverage, or help solve specific problems during a battle.

When evaluating Champions, I generally ask three questions:

• Does this character improve the effectiveness of nearby units?
• Does it provide utility that the rest of the army lacks?
• Is it efficient enough to justify taking over another Wizard?

That last question is surprisingly important.

The Wizard is one of the most flexible and efficient support pieces in the entire army, which means every other Champion is competing against a very high baseline.

Let’s start with the character that finds his way into more of my lists than any other Champion.

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Wizard

Tier: A
Role: Utility Spellcaster
Cost: 60 | Nerve: 12 | Defense: 4 | Speed: 5
Avg Damage vs Def 5: 0.11 | Durability Index: 1,915 | Unit Index: 5.9

I love Wizards.

They’re cheap, flexible, can gain Inspiring through magical artifacts, and can help solve whatever problem your list happens to have.

Need additional melee damage? Bring Bane Chant.

Want another ranged threat? Bring Blizzard.

Struggling into heavy shooting armies? Veil of Shadows can be a game changer.

There are very few situations where a Wizard cannot contribute something meaningful.

What makes them particularly attractive in Kingdoms of Men is the low opportunity cost. At only 60 points, you’re getting access to some of the best support magic in the game without sacrificing a meaningful portion of your army.

As always, I strongly recommend purchasing the mount when possible. Fifteen points for the additional mobility is an excellent investment and dramatically increases your ability to keep your spellcaster where he needs to be throughout the game.

The damage numbers are largely irrelevant here. Nobody is bringing a Wizard because they hit hard. You’re paying for flexibility, utility, and problem solving.

Verdict: The best utility character in the army and one of the easiest inclusions in Kingdoms of Men list building.

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Army Standard Bearer

Tier: B
Role: Inspiring Support Character
Cost: 70 | Nerve: 11 | Defense: 4 | Speed: 5
Avg Damage vs Def 5: 0.11 | Durability Index: 1,609 | Unit Index: 3.6

The Army Standard Bearer sits in an awkward position.

He’s not bad.

He’s just difficult to prioritize.

If I’m finishing a list and realize I need another source of Inspiring, the Standard Bearer is certainly an option. He can also transition into several different support roles through magical artifacts depending on what the army requires.

The issue is that I constantly find myself comparing him to other Champions.

The Wizard brings magic.

The Hero brings Rally.

Both usually feel more impactful.

What really hurts the Army Standard Bearer is the lack of a mount option. Kingdoms of Men armies often spread across large sections of the battlefield, and support characters become significantly stronger when they can reposition quickly.

Without that mobility, he often feels slightly less flexible than I want him to be.

Verdict: Perfectly serviceable if you need another source of Inspiring, but there are usually stronger Champion choices available.

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Hero

Tier: A
Role: Mobile Support Fighter
Cost: 115 | Nerve: 12 | Defense: 5 | Speed: 5
Avg Damage vs Def 5: 1.00 | Durability Index: 2,880 | Unit Index: 21.8

The Hero is one of the most underrated characters in the army.

I absolutely loved these guys during Third Edition. They served as incredibly cheap anti-flyer pieces, protected my backfield, and occasionally picked off support characters that got too close.

While Fourth Edition increased their cost slightly, they also became significantly more relevant through access to Rallying (Stoic) and Rallying (Noble).

If your army lacks another source of Rally, the Hero immediately becomes far more attractive. Being able to improve the durability of nearby units while still functioning as a combat character gives him a clear battlefield role.

The mount option is another major advantage.

Mobility consistently wins games, and mounted Heroes provide flexibility that many other support characters simply cannot match.

They’re rarely the centerpiece of a list, but they frequently end up being one of the most useful pieces on the table.

Verdict: A fantastic support character that combines utility, mobility, and respectable combat ability.

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Assassin

Tier: C
Role: Character Hunter
Cost: 135 | Nerve: 12 | Defense: 4 | Speed: 5
Avg Damage vs Def 5: 1.56 Melee / 1.56 Shooting | Durability Index: 1,915 | Unit Index: 16.4

The Assassin suffers from many of the same problems that Assassins do in other factions.

The profile isn’t terrible. The damage is respectable, and having both melee and ranged attacks provides some flexibility. The problem is that he lacks the mobility needed to consistently reach the targets he wants to hunt.

Without access to a mount, a smart opponent can often avoid him entirely. Every time I build a list, I find myself comparing him to a Hero or Wizard and struggling to justify the points.

I’ve never been particularly impressed by Assassins in Kings of War, and unfortunately this version hasn’t changed my mind.

Verdict: Similar to most Assassins across Kings of War: interesting on paper, but rarely impactful enough to justify the points.