Books of Nagash

The Books of Nagash are a gameplay mechanic for Tomb Kings factions in the campaign mode of Total War: Warhammer II.

In Warhammer Fantasy lore, Nagash was a powerful necromancer who brought about the downfall of the Tomb Kings' human civilization - he kept his vast knowledge of dark magic in 9 books.

Four new Rogue Armies are spawned at the beginning of the game if you are playing as any of the Tomb Kings, with each of them possessing a Book of Nagash. They are extremely powerful, but fortunately do not start out at war with you. They are the Black Creek Raiders, the Dwellers of Zardok, the Eyes of the Jungle, and the Pilgrims of Myrmidia. You only have to defeat them in a battle to obtain the book, you do not have to completely destroy them.

Four other books are assigned to specific settlements, and you must personally occupy that settlement to obtain the book (allied factions occupying it do not count).

The final book is always held by the Followers of Nagash, so they only need to collect four more books instead of five like the other factions. This book cannot ever be obtained by other factions, and always confers the bonus of being able to use Vampire Count units.

Each book gives a different bonus, and which location or Rogue Army has them is randomized each new campaign. Once you obtain a book, you cannot lose it. The status, bonuses, and location of all books can be checked by clicking the book icon at the top of the screen.

In Eye of the Vortex

In Eye of the Vortex, instead of competing with Rituals to win, the Tomb Kings are required to collect books, which allows them to control the Black Pyramid of Nagash and win the campaign. 5 books out of 9 must be collected to win. Tomb Kings cannot lose the Eye of the Vortex campaign through another race gaining control of the Vortex.

In other campaigns

In Immortal Empires, both the Cult of Sigmar and The Drakenhof Conclave can collect the books for their own benefit.

The Cult of Sigmar collects the Books to seal them away, gaining benefits to their faction and increasing their Righteous Zeal, giving them access to the Runefangs of the Empire and Elector Count State Troops, as well as various other sundry benefits.

The Drakenhof Conclave receive similar benefits to the Tomb Kings and can double the effectiveness of all bonuses by reclaiming Castle Drakenhof and building the Malevolent Museum there.

List of book boons by faction

Book	Tomb Kings	Cult of Sigmar	The Drakenhof Conclave
First Book of Nagash	Hero action cost: -50% Hero action success chance: +10% Hero capacity: +1 for all Heroes	Righteous Zeal: +1 Research rate: +10% Income from post-battle loot: +10% (factionwide)	Hero action cost: -25% Hero action success chance: +5% Hero capacity: +1 for all Heroes Effects are doubled when Manfred studies the tomes from he Malevolent Museum in Castle Drakenhof
Second Book of Nagash	Campaign line of sight over regions with golden idols, marble, and gemstones resources Income from trade tariffs: +20%	Righteous Zeal: +1 Winds of Magic cost: -10% for all spells Miscast base chance: -15% (all armies)	Campaign line of sight over regions with gold, marble, and gemstones resources Income from trade tariffs: +15% Effects are doubled when Manfred studies the tomes from he Malevolent Museum in Castle Drakenhof
Third book of Nagash	Regions will be hit by a sandstorm after sacking or occupying settlements Immune to Sandstorm attrition Casualty replenishment rate: +15% after sacking or occupying settlements	Righteous Zeal: +1 Hero action success change: +10% for Warrior Priests and Witch Hunters Hero action cost: -25% for Warrior Priests and Witch Hunters Hero capacity: +1 for Warrior Priests and Witch Hunters	Regions will be hit by a sandstorm after sacking or occupying settlements Immune to Sandstorm attrition Casualty replenishment rate: +10% after sacking or occupying settlements Effects are doubled when Manfred studies the tomes from he Malevolent Museum in Castle Drakenhof
Fourth Book of Nagash	Canopic Jars generated: 250 Lord recruit rank: +3 Wound recovery time: -1 (all characters)	Righteous Zeal: +1 Enemy Hero action success chance: -10% (all characters) Casualty replenishment rate: +8% (all armies)	Lord recruit rank: +2 Lord recruitment cost: -10% Wound recovery time: -1 Effects are doubled when Manfred studies the tomes from he Malevolent Museum in Castle Drakenhof
Fifth Book of Nagash	Army capacity: +1 Unit capacity +5 for Tomb Guard, Tomb Guard (Halberds), and Skeleton Chariots	Righteous Zeal: +1 Character experience gain: +20% (all characters) Character experience per turn: +100 (all armies)	Upkeep: -5% Recruitment cost: -10% Local recruitment capacity: +1 Effects are doubled when Manfred studies the tomes from he Malevolent Museum in Castle Drakenhof
Sixth Book of Nagash	Unlocks Hero recruitment: Liche Priest (Shadows) Winds of Magic power reserve capacity: +10 (all armies)	Righteous Zeal: +1 Causes attrition to enemy armies within your territory Immune to attrition	Unlocks Hero recruitment: Necromancer Hero capacity: +1 for Necromancers Winds of Magic reserve capacity: +7 (all armies) Effects are doubled when Manfred studies the tomes from he Malevolent Museum in Castle Drakenhof
Seventh Book of Nagash	Canopic Jars generated: 10 per turn Research rate: +10%	Righteous Zeal: +1 Hero recruit rank: +5 for Witch Hunters and Warrior Priests Hero recruitment cost: -50% for Warrior Priests and Witch Hunters Cooldown: -25% to battle prayers	Blood Kiss gained: +3 Research rate: +10% Effects are doubled when Manfred studies the tomes from he Malevolent Museum in Castle Drakenhof
Eighth Book of Nagash	Effectiveness of all commandments +50%	Righteous Zeal: +1 Leadership: +8 (all armies) Melee attack: +8 (all armies) Melee defence: +8 (all armies)	Effectiveness of all commandments: +50% Effects are doubled when Manfred studies the tomes from he Malevolent Museum in Castle Drakenhof
Ninth Book of Nagash	Enables recruitment of certain enhanced Vampire Count units