The Reaver Queen

So I have been brainstorming lately about jetbikes in alot lately (my friend wants to build a CWE jetbike army, Ive been thinking about reavers, and ofc Mush-a-mania is still going strong), and one of the things Ive wished lately is that GW brings back reaver rides for archons or succubi. I understand why they took it away, but I really miss that feel. Also they took skyboards, but gave us baron, who is the Hellion King. So I got to thinking, why didnt they make a SC reaver lord? I feel its a huge missed oppotunity, and want to come up with my own rules for one (just to use in fun games and such).

Many legends revolve around the woman known as the Reaver Queen. Some say she is the child of the Dark Muses and a powerful Succubus, while others make her out to be the destined bride for the Bloody Handed God Khaine. The Truth though, is far more interesting than these tall tales.

The child that would one day rule as a god was an experiment to make a better wych for some now dishonored Wych Cult. The Haemonculus involved replaced the child's blood with a modified version of the drug Hypex that still functioned like blood. This made her speed and reflexes far superior to even a well trained Succubus. They named the child Viliana, after the Cult's original Mistress. Before the process could be mass produced, a rival cult learned of their plans, and sought for the process for their own wyches. The raid was brutal and quick, and both the Cult and Coven where the experiment were taking place were destroyed. Viliana survived the raid though, and began wandering the streets of Commorragh.

She lived off of random odd jobs, her speed and reflexes making her an excellent errand girl. Her life changed when she stumbled apon a reaver race in progress. As she watched in awe of the speed and grace each pilot had, and fell in love with the danger that each turn brought. She instantly found her calling. She then sat up and waiting months until the next race was brought to the track. As the race began, she climbed to a high perch on a nearby spire. As the racers turned the corner at the spire, she leaped off onto a reaver, killing the pilot and taking control of the jetbike. The crowd went wild at the sight of this little girl highjacking a reaver. Her natural skills kicked in, and she easily took first place. Thus began the the legend of the Reaver Queen.

She has since become a sort of god to the reaver gangs. She has won every race she has ever been in, and has since gotten tired of the race curcit and has turned her focus on outside the Hidden City. Viliana has beaten many of the universe's fastest opponents, besting the likes of Nuadhu the Fireheart, Sammael of the Ravenwing, and multiple Master of the Hunts of the White Scars. She will never be satisfied until she is the undisputed fastest being in the universe. Her current prey is a daemon prince that is said to be the imbodiment of She Who Thirst's lust for speed.

Viliana, the Speed Queen.- 175pts

Stats: WS-8 BS-6 S-3 T-4 W-3 I-8 A-4 SV-5+ LD-9

Wargear: Custom Reaver Jetbike, Combat Drugs, Splinter Pistol, Lance of Khaine

Special Rules: Independent Character, Skilled Rider, bladevane, Quicksilver Dodge, Affinity for Speed, Reaver Queen

Custom Reaver Jetbike: The Jetbike Viliana has used since she first got the thirst for speed. Over the years she has tweaked every inch of the bike to fit her unique style of flight.

The custom reaver jetbike is a reaver jetbike that's incorperates 2 Cluster Caltrops and a Heat Lance

Lance of Khaine: The weapon won when she beat Nuadhu the Fireheart of Saim Hann in a one on one race. It is said to hold a piece of Khaine's original weapon, and its tip can cut through the thickest of plate with ease.

the profile of the weapon is:

S8 AP1 on the charge/ S User AP3 normally

Quicksilver Dodge See ability in Codex: DE

Affinity for Speed: Viliana as born to fly, and as such her skill with a jetbike is supperior to anyone who ever sat in the seat of a bike. Even in combat, her lightning quick reflexes allows her to dart back and forth through the battle. When The Speed Queen goes to raid, she takes only her finest Reaver followers, which means those few that can barely keep up with her.

Viliana's +1 to Jink save from skilled rider gets add to her squads coversave as well

Reaver Queen: The Reaver gangs view Viliana as a Dark Muse incarnate, and would follow her into the bowels of the warp itself. Before every raid, each Reaver gang sends its best to race for a position in the Speed Queen's raid, for Viliana raids with only the best by her side

If Viliana is your warlord, Reaver squads count as scoring models as per the warhammer 40k rulebook.


My next mission is to draw up some fluff for her, I have a few ideas, but first I want to get your guy's thoughts on the rules are.

Very cool! I'd take her in every single game. Really. I feel, though, that she might be a little too good. While the Stealth rule makes sense, the 3++ feels like too much. I'd lower it to 4++. Maybe give her a Shardnet equivalent, to represent her being too quick to be hit, even in CC?
Also, her Bladevane attacks could easily be dropped to D3 S4 AP3.
Lastly, I don't think the scoring Reavers make too much sense. How about going deeper into her ferocity and speed, and giving the Reaver unit she's attached to Hit and Run? That would make sense because her lance is good on the charge and all of them being more survivable against shooting.

My two Euro cents. Hope it helps!

I'd even go so far as to say just make them (reavers) troops.

That would actually be contra-productive, as a player would then be able to field 6x9 reavers. Go read Mush's report and realize that it would be way overpowered. As mentioned above, even scoring Reavers are questionable, as A) there's a mission that does it anyway and B) I don't see the fluff explaining it (yet).

I'm with Kinnay here. Reavers are too hardcore to just make them troops. An I don't see Reavers parking on an objective. It seems so wrong.

Hit and Run seems ok, but I'm not to sure, how often one would use it, since Reavers don't really shine in CC.
Maybe give them +1 on their Bladevane roll.

Oh and maybe she could let you re-roll ones on your drug roll, since Hypex doesn't benefit Reavers at all.

P.S.: I'm strongly against modifying the Hammer of Wrath special rule, since it always is unmodified strength AP-, but that's just my two cents.

Yea, good point there. Perhaps give an additional FA slot and lose a heavy?

(Like old iron warriors did with their heavies).

@Kinnay- 3++ imho isnt too much. Most HQs have around 3++ to 4++, and being only T4 means she still is ID by powerfists/thunderhammers, very common when playing against MEQ. As for the shardnet I feel that is too much like lelith, but is a decent idea.

@Tiri- The reason my idea was for her originally was to make reavers scoring, because I feel that was a huge missed oppotunity. If she ends up being too "good" in combat I might think about changing it, but I dont feel scoring reavers are OP, Considering in the scouring they are scoring as well.

Hit and Run would be interesting, but I feel that is pulling into baron's territory, and combat itself is the reavers biggest weakness (and the way to get around the 2+ coversave they have when turboboosting) Also reroll the drugs seems like Duke's territory as well, but maybe something like hypex actually does something for reavers could be a neat rule...

Also baron's custom skyboard strength bonus is used for his HoW, while this makes sense physically (as the hammer attack comes from the extra big skyboard) it doesnt make sense rules wise (as they clearly say unmodified) so there is presidence for GW changing HoW attacks. although Im not too attached for this, so its easily dropped.

This is a great character, Shadows, and I think you have structured her very well. I might have gone for WS-6 and I-7 so that she doesn't appear to be too OP, but then you do have her quite expensive points-wise, so it does balance out, I think.

Scoring Reavers rather than Troops is much better for the reasons already outlined, and it would be consistent with content already in the BRB. And I would leave HoW alone and not change it.

Like the lance.

D6 regular bladevane strikes is fine, although for her price I would just give her Caltrops for free (adds consistency within the codex, too).

As for her Affinity for Speed, given that we already have Jink and Skilled Rider, I would be more inclined to change the AfS rule to be the same as Lelith's Quicksilver Dodge (4++/3++). Stealth is the Baron's thing, and again it would be consistent with another part of the codex.

Looking to seeing your fluff for the Queen. I also think that a modelling comp for her might be a fun idea, at the start of the New Year?

Cheers.

so i tried her out in a small game last night though i just changed her so she had regular bladevane and impact.
and a 4+ invul

scoring over troops is definitely the way to go! as they are just too fast to be a fair troops choice

i think maybe swap stealth for hit and run would be getter for her and a unit she is with
does her weapon count as a single or 2 handed weapon?

Ok, So I updated her rules. I still want a custom reaver jetbike to compliment her to Baron, so instead of a different bladevane, I changed it to two grav talons. Is that too much??? Should I go back to the AP3 hits, but tone it down to D3 instead of D6???

I took Gob's idea and gave her quicksilver dodge to unify it somewhat with the codex (as she is basically a succubus on a jetbike) but I still wanted her to do something to boost her squad, so I changed Affinity for Speed to give her +1 jink save from skilled rider to their coversave as well. That way she is still boosting her squad, its just not as powerful as stealth was (as it doesnt work when they turboboost, as that is already factored in)

What are your guys thoughts now??? and btw Im almost done the fluff, just been pushed aside with all these parties Ive been hosting

Love the character idea, maybe add some other use for CD roll 1. If she was just and arena champ and made that CD result something of even a minor use I'd take her every game.

Shadows Revenge wrote:

Ok, So I updated her rules. I still want a custom reaver jetbike to compliment her to Baron, so instead of a different bladevane, I changed it to two grav talons. Is that too much??? Should I go back to the AP3 hits, but tone it down to D3 instead of D6???

Do you mean grave talons or cluster caltrops? (grave talons are like normal blade vanes that cause pinning).

your right, cluster caltrops. Edited to show the change

Or... what about one of each??? that would be interesting

Shadows Revenge wrote:

your right, cluster caltrops. Edited to show the change

Or... what about one of each??? that would be interesting

Agree with that - why not make it have some sort of compilation of special vanes underneath? I think that might be quite interesting indeed.

ok, added fluff for her, comments are always welcomed.

Also added a poll to see which bladevane do you like for her. I like the SP3 one, but that is just me. The mix of both a grav talon and cluster caltrops though is interesting, and is easy to do. What do you guys think???