Winds of Magic: Lore of Metal
I've been itching to get to this lore of magic since I started, so I am quite glad that it's one of the first ones in the book! The Lore of Metal is a fantastic lore which is often ignored over other lores which have more overt strengths. One common misinterpretation is that this lore is only good against people with a ton of armour, so allow me to explain why that is not exactly true.
Lore Attribute
Lore of metal is predictably most potent when fighting in situations where your opponent is heavily armoured. The lore attribute states that their Magic Missiles and Direct Damage spells always wound using the targets own armour save as the roll to wound, for example, if their save is 5+, then you need a 5+ to wound, if their save is 1+, then they're automatically wounded, and so on. Additionally, armour saves may not be taken by spells from the Lore of Metal and wounds caused by Lore of Metal are considered Flaming Attacks, so no regeneration either. That is one nasty attribute, but unfortunately there are only 2 spells where that is taken into effect.
Signature Spell: Searing Doom
Searing Doom is quite the spell, especially for how much potential it has to utterly devastate hard to kill units. With a typical Magic Missile range of 24", Searing Doom will cause either D6 or 2D6 hits, which use the aforementioned lore attribute when rolling to wound. It has a fairly high casting value, but when you consider the offensive potential, it is well worth it. I would definitely not consider taking this spell every game, unlike most lore attributes, but if your opponent is using a tough unit with a good save (4+ or better ideally), then just having this spell is likely enough to make them a little queasy. If your opponent is using something like Mournfangs, Demigryphs, Chaos Knights or Steam Tanks, then they will probably fill their trousers any time they just hear the name of this spell, and for good reason, speaking from experience, I've seen 3 of my Mournfangs go up in a puff of molten slag and smoke in just a single casting of this spell.
1. Plague of Rust
Here we have the lores first Hex. Plague of Rust will permanently reduce the armour of an enemy unit by 1 for every successful casting, and it is cast on quite a low value, with a range of 24/48". The downside to this is that each time you cast it, Searing Doom has a lower chance to wound that very same target. I typically skip this spell, though if you are playing against an opponent with several heavily armoured targets, then while you're Searing Dooming some of his units, you can keep rusting the other to make it less of a problem when it reaches the fight.
2. Enchanted Blades of Aiban
Much like Flaming Sword of Rhuin, the Enchanted Blades of Aiban is a fantastic buff for any unit you could cast it on. It grants your units a +1 to hit in close combat and shooting, and the Armour Piercing special rule. There is a bit of debate about if this affects ranged attacks, but since it does say that all of their attacks both count as magical and Armour Piercing, I typically assume it will work on bows until stated otherwise in a FAQ. So, with that said, stick it on some bowmen, and suddenly you're hitting on 4/3+'s with armour piercing, magical bow shots, take that spirit hosts! The +1 to hit can also be crucial in combat, allowing a unit to hit on 2's and also take down the enemy armour a notch at the same time. If you ever have the opportunity to take this spell, you absolutely should.
3. Glittering Robe
This is the lores second augment spell, which will make your units quite a bit harder to kill. You can cast this on a fairly low 9+, or for a few higher points of casting value, you can have this spell affect every unit within 12" of the caster. Increasing the save of your troops can mean a ton, especially when those models are already moderately armoured, 2+ save Greatswords and 3+ save for anything else who just happens to be in heavy armour or have light armour and a shield is the bee's knees. Much like Enchanted Blades, I say that this spell is a must have and is 100% effective no matter what enemy you face.
4. Gehenna's Golden Hounds
I am a firm believer that almost every lore has it's stinker, and Lore of Metal is no exception. The Golden Hounds are a short ranged sniper spell, which causes D6 hits using the rules from the Lore Attribute. If the spell just stopped there, it would be fantastic and people would be foaming at the mouth to take the Lore of Metal, but unfortunately it goes on... Each of these hits allows the enemy to make a "Look Out Sir!" roll, meaning that you only really actually have a 1/6 chance to hit most characters. Because of this, the spell is pretty much only useful against lone characters with high armour saves, which is sadly far too situational for me to even consider.
5. Transmutation of Lead
Who doesn't love a good hex? Transmutation of Lead lowers a unit's WS/BS and Armour Save by 1 until the next magic phase, what's more, it has a fantastic range of 24/48"! Combined with your Enchanted Blades, this could be used to allow you to hit some opponents on 2's while simultaneously making their armour effectively 2 points weaker. Alone, you can target an enemy who is far across the field that is peppering you with unfriendly Jezzail fire to take away some of their potential. This spell has a moderately high casting value, but when combined with other spells, or cast on specific units, it can be incredibly effective.
6. Final Transmutation
The final spell in the lore is aptly named Final Transmutation. It is a mid-ranged ability with a high-ish casting value, though still a low casting value when compared to other lores "uber" spells, but if you really need to reach out and touch someone, you can cast it on just a few points higher value for a 36" range. Unlike spells such as Dwellers Below, Pit of Shades and Purple Sun, this spell is not dependent in any way on your opponents stats, you simply roll a dice for every model in the unit and on a 5+ they're toast, though models with multiple wounds are only affected on a 6. Additionally, every enemy unit within 12" of that target (including the unit itself) must test for Stupidity the following turn, though the chances to fail are slim, after you've wiped out 1/3 of a unit, you still have the chance to further disrupt the enemy plans, even enemies which are Immune to Psychology like Undead and Daemons are affected!
The Lore of Metal is a very well rounded lore with 2 augments, 2 hexes, a magic missile and 2 direct damage spells. No matter what opponent you're facing, most of the spells will still be useful in some way, and against people who have particularly heavy armor, it's even better.
Lore of Metal is accessible to: Daemons of Chaos, Dark Elves, High Elves, Lizardmen, Empire, Vampire Counts.