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| Starting a Homebrew Codex project. | |
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+4CurstAlchemist Cavash Squidmaster FuelDrop 8 posters | Author | Message |
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FuelDrop Hekatrix
Posts : 1392 Join date : 2015-06-21
| Subject: Starting a Homebrew Codex project. Mon Jul 20 2015, 09:38 | |
| Hi all. I'm starting a homebrew codex project and I'm going to post some of my ideas here for community feedback.
Here are some of my ideas so far. First up, I want to distinguish Trueborn from your average warrior and have decided to blatantly rip off Sturnguard Veterans and their special issue ammunition. Here are my ideas so far.
Trueborn Special Ammunition:
LCAD shards: Liquid Core Aerial Dispersal shards burst on impact, spewing corrosive poisoned gas. They ignore cover.
CTRI shards: Concentrated Toxin, Rapid Injection shards contain, as the name implies, a more concentrated toxin than normal shards. CTRI shards are Poisoned (2+) and have the Lethal Dose special rule.
SCHI shards: Solid Core Heavy Impact shards are the Trueborn answer to heavy infantry. SCHI shards are strength 4, poisoned (4+), and have the Rending special rule.
Now on to power from pain. From what I've been reading people seem to want a few things from this. They want the power to actually come from pain, rather than just increasing turn by turn. They want it to not be entirely melee focused. And several people have expressed desire for it to trigger from anyone's pain, rather than only the enemy's.
As a result I have decided to reinstate pain tokens to track how much power we draw from pain. In order to reduce bookkeeping I have also decided to have a single pool of pain tokens for the entire army rather than having them on a squad-by-squad basis.
I have also decided that rather than trying to please everyone with a single chart, there will be 3 power from pain charts. Power from Pain will affect Kabal units. Feast of Fear will affect Coven units. Finally, Bath of Blood will affect Wych Cult units. These names are not set in stone and if someone can give a better suggestion I'll be all over it.
Grim Harvest (Army Special Rule): Whenever a non-vehicle unit (friend or foe) is removed from play, all Dark Eldar armies on the battlefield gain a pain token. The more pain tokens the army has, the more units benefit from the Power from Pain (Kabal), Feast of Fear (Coven), and Bath of Blood (Cult) special rules. | |
| | | Squidmaster Klaivex
Posts : 2225 Join date : 2013-12-18 Location : Hampshire, England
| Subject: Re: Starting a Homebrew Codex project. Mon Jul 20 2015, 09:44 | |
| I think you might have misinterpreted Power From Pain a little Dark Eldar like to drink/absriob/whatever the essences of their victims, gaining power from the pain of the their victims. This is why the old Power From Pain was based on how many units they killed rather than how many they themselves lost. Fluff-wise it doesn;t make a lot of sense for them to gain that power whilst losing their own units. | |
| | | FuelDrop Hekatrix
Posts : 1392 Join date : 2015-06-21
| Subject: Re: Starting a Homebrew Codex project. Mon Jul 20 2015, 09:50 | |
| - Squidmaster wrote:
- I think you might have misinterpreted Power From Pain a little
Dark Eldar like to drink/absriob/whatever the essences of their victims, gaining power from the pain of the their victims. This is why the old Power From Pain was based on how many units they killed rather than how many they themselves lost. Fluff-wise it doesn;t make a lot of sense for them to gain that power whilst losing their own units. Fair enough. However, several people have expressed interest in the idea and I was catering towards them with this iteration. If people would rather that it be enemy only, or even non-dark-eldar only (so that feeding on allies is still an option) then that's what it'll end up being. However, given the possibility of coming up against an army with LITERALLY not non-vehicles (Imperial Knights) I felt that we should have the option of using our special rules even if the enemy won't co-operate. More feedback will alter further iterations. Now onto one of our most symbolic weapons: splinter weapons. The fact is that Rapid Fire and Salvo have always been awful ideas for an army built around mobility, as by definition they limit our mobility! In this codex all splinter weapons will be assault weapons, allowing our troops to charge in and finish the enemy off after weakening them with a barrage of firepower. Splinter Weapons: Splinter Pistol: Range 12”, S 1, AP 5, Poisoned (4+) Pistol. Splinter Rifle (ranged): Range 24”, S 1, AP 5, Poisoned (4+) Assault 2. Splinter Rifle (melee): Range -, S user, AP -, +1 attack. Splinter Pods: Range 18”, S 1, AP 5, Poisoned (4+) Assault 2 Pinning. Shardcarbine: Range 18”, S 1, AP 5, Poisoned (4+) Assault 3. Splinter Cannon: Range 36”, S 1, AP 5, Poisoned (4+) Assault 6. Our other set of signature weapons, Dark lance weaponry is getting a boost in the form of Blind. Why? Well it's mentioned in the fluff that looking at a Dark Lance firing can burn out your retinas with un-light. Blind seems a good fit. The Dark Scythe is also losing it's Lance special rule because having a blast weapon with Lance is just stupid. The two are completely incompatible. Dark Light Weapons: Blast Pistol: Range 6”, S 8, AP 2, Lance Blind Pistol. Blaster: Range 18”, S 8, AP 2, Lance Blind Assault 1. Dark Scythe: Range 24”, S 8, AP 2, Blind Heavy 1 Blast. Dark Lance: Range 36”, S 8, AP 2, Lance Blind Heavy 1. Here's what I'm thinking for Hellions. I'd like some community suggestions on points costs ect: Fast attack: Hellions WS 4 BS 4 S 3 T 3 W 1 I 6 A 1 LD 8 SV 5+ Helliarch WS 5 BS 5 S 3 T 3 W 2 I 6 A 2 LD 9 SV 5+ Unit type: Jump Infantry. Helliarch is Jump Infantry (Character) Equipment: Combat Drugs. Wych Suit. Plasma Grenades. Hellion Skyboard: Models on a Hellion Skyboard are Jump Infantry and gain +1 to their Armour Save (bonus included in profile above). In addition, a model with a Hellion Skyboard may Move, Shoot, Run, and Assault in the same turn, representing them zooming towards their targets with weapons blazing. Finally, a Hellion Skyboard has undermounted splinter pods (see splinter weapons). Hellglave: A Hellglave is a melee weapon with the following profile: Range -, Strength +1, AP 5, Two Handed Extra Attack. Special rules: Fleet, Night Vision, Bath of Blood, Hit and Run, Fear. Terror Tactics: Hellions excel at creating fear and panic. Any leadership test caused by a squad of Hellions, be it by shooting or in close combat, is made on 3d6 dropping the lowest result. Lambs to the Slaughter: When a unit of Hellions succeeds on a sweeping advance, they may choose to ride among their panicking enemies and direct them to and fro. If this is the case then the unit that failed its sweeping advance check takes a number of AP 5 wounds equal to the amount they failed the initiative check by. The combat then moves 2d6 inches in a direction chosen by the Hellion’s player. At the beginning of the next turn they may make a rally check (even if this is the Hellion’s controller’s turn) modified by the Terror Tactics rule (above) and any penalties for casualties sustained in the previous assault phase. On a success the unit regains some semblance of order and the fight continues as normal in the assault phase, with the rallying unit automatically failing their fear check. If they fail to rally then they are treated as weapon skill and initiative 1 and may only hit the Hellions on a to hit roll of a 6 during the next assault phase. At the end of the phase opposed initiative checks are once again rolled and the Hellions inflict an AP 5 wound for each point by which they beat their opponents, the combat moves 2d6 inches in a direction determined by the Hellions’ controlling player, and the cycle of pain starts again.* *Units with ATSKNF do not automatically rally while under the effect of this special rule, but make the check on 2d6 with no negative modifiers from casualties taken last round. If they successfully rally, they fight on normally and are not subject to Fear. | |
| | | Cavash Lord of the Chat
Posts : 3237 Join date : 2012-04-15 Location : Stuck in an air vent spying on plotters
| Subject: Re: Starting a Homebrew Codex project. Mon Jul 20 2015, 12:26 | |
| I disagree with the Dark Eldar getting no invigoration from their own pain. They are a race that seek to get enjoyment from anything that they can, and to their heightened and twisted psyches I believe that they do indeed gain pleasure from their own pain. I tend to incorporate it in my own writing. Obviously it wouldn't have the same affect as consuming souls, but I like debates. Anyway, on topic, I like seeing homebrew codices. I like the way the Tureborn have gone with different types of ammo. You say it's a blatant ripoff but it's time our gun specialists get some love, too. Being able to have cool add-ons for basic splinter weaponry is more interesting to me than a bunch of Trueborn just with Blasters. Lance weaponry having the Blind rule is quite interesting and I can see why they would have it. I like the look of the Dark Scythe. That could be quite a brutal weapon. It's a good start, and I look forward to seeing any more you may do. Unfortunately I haven't played since sixth so I can't comment on how well these rules would work or if they are OP, but from a fluff point of view I am enjoying it greatly. | |
| | | CurstAlchemist Wych
Posts : 915 Join date : 2015-05-01
| Subject: Re: Starting a Homebrew Codex project. Mon Jul 20 2015, 17:33 | |
| I like many of your ideas. I too, have been playing around with my own homebrew ideas following the different discussions on the board and trying to keep them competitive without making DE overpowered. Look forward to seeing more of what you come up with. I have also been looking into the lore for ideas and justification for some rules. For example I thought it would be cool to add a stealth bomber type rule to the Voidraven Bomber that prevents the use of intercept and skyfire on the turn the Voidraven Bomber enters from reserve (Note: it can still be shot at normally but any unit that has skyfire, still only hits on 6s on the turn that it entered from reserve, the following turn the bomber is vulnerable to skyfire as normal). | |
| | | daveyo Hellion
Posts : 73 Join date : 2015-07-01
| Subject: Re: Starting a Homebrew Codex project. Mon Jul 20 2015, 18:57 | |
| Love it. Some suggestions.
Trueborn - ghost plate armour and shard carbine. Rather than the special range of ammo which is very marinelike I would say just a single hypertoxin ammo with lethal dose rule.
Disagree on the +1 attack from splinter rifle. This is not the kabalite role.
re PfP, I would suggest keeping the basic tables for all eligible models...BUT adding the armywide rule bath of blood and feast of fear to PfP. These grant a token everytime a non vehicle unit is removed (Bath of blood) and a token each time a unit fails a fear, pinning or morale check. (Feast of fear). Tokens to be spent in some wonderful way...likely or re rolls, boosts, phenomena in the psychic phase etc.
Helion - move shoot run assault for sure...skilled rider and jink. They don't need anything else. This will make them super mobile and evasive. I would save other rules for a cult formation and main detachment. The formation could be something like :
Terror gangs : 3-6 units of hellions must include 1 helliarch.
cause fear
terror tactics - units attacked by hellions have -1LD.
Lambs to the slaughter - any units falling back, just rallied or pinned provide D3 pain tokens from Bath of blood if killed by the hellions.
I think your rule is a bit complex, but can't wait to see what you have next
My thoughts on primary detachment.
Realspace raiders.
same unit choice plus 0-3 formations from covens or cults
rules-
Realspace raider - reroll warlord train
Strategic ambush - any fast attack units may enter from reserve with the outflank rule...And the reserve roll for such units can be made with a +1 modifier.
strike from the shadows - on turn 1 and any turn where night fighting is in effect...Every unit in the detachment has the shrouded special rule
This should be our basic detachment...no objective secured as we don't care...but great surprise attacks and amazing stealth for all on turn 1
Thoughts for pain tokens generated from Bath of Blood and Feast of Fear
The Dark Eldar player may use tokens in the following phases on units with the PfP rule
Movement
1 token - Adrenal Surge - one unit may move an additional 3 inches
Psychic
1 token - psychic Null - Adamantine will rule during he enemy phase
shooting
1 token - Lethal speed - one unit may run in addition to having shot
assault
1 token - aggression - one unit gains hatred rule for 1 turn 1 token - murder make - one unit makes attacks with +1AP 1 token - fight to the last - one unit has +1 feel no pain 1 token - terrify - ignore enemy's fearless or atsknf rule 1 token - fear - one unit has the fear rule
OR
Perhaps the Bath of Blood / Feast of Fear tokens could actually be cards drawn face down from a Pain deck. At the start of each player turn you could flip one per turn number (2 on turn 2, 3 on 3 etc) and they would reveal a buff, bonus or benefit that could be played (Ctan Power style) in a particular phase. They would not be use or lose...but could be played when needed, perhaps only one per unit...though up to 2 if you are near a Cronos or Haemonculus...and 3 if near Urien
the above pain cards would all be useable by any unit...but some would get a bonus if used by certain units...or in certain circumstances...or against certain foes. eg.
Carnage - played on a unit in cc. Each model gains an additional attack. If payed on Grots then gain the shred rule
Soul Drinkers - Played on a unit in cc. The unit gains +1 to feel no pain if they kill at least 1 enemy model. If the enemy are eldar, then their soulstone is devoured and the bonus is +2 FNP instead | |
| | | FuelDrop Hekatrix
Posts : 1392 Join date : 2015-06-21
| Subject: Re: Starting a Homebrew Codex project. Tue Jul 21 2015, 01:06 | |
| Not going to get much done today, so will quickly post about design philosophy:
1) Every unit has a role. This sounds obvious, but with so many melee units in our codex it needs to be reiterated that each one must do something different to the others. I want each unit to be a valid choice which does something better than every other unit in the codex. Hence making Hellions into terror weapons, thus leaving the "Light Infantry Killers" slot available for another unit.
2) Glass Cannons. Survivability is the purview of the coven units. Everything else should die if the enemy catches them, and die quickly.
On the flip side the army needs to be fast, hard hitting and offensively versatile enough that a skilled player can dictate the flow of battle, isolate enemy units to cut to pieces, and generally kick ass when using the army right.
3) Speed. The dark eldar need to be fast. They fly around in cardboard boxes and in some cases wear armour that makes imperial t-shirts look good. Their best defense is staying out of arms reach. Given that modern codexes are very fast, I intend to step it up a bit for the DE.
4) Force Multipliers. Most races have access to psykers as force multipliers. Tau have access to markerlights and ethereals. Necrons are nigh invulnerable. We need an edge, and we have the tech to do it. I have some very fun ideas along these lines, so stay tuned...
Okay, just a quickie. The Kabalite Warrior.
I've taken a bit of a departure from the traditional role and turned these guys into more all-rounders. With assault weapons, extra melee attacks from the splinter rifle, grenades, and optional haywire grenades Warriors become general purpose infantry who can use their speed, range, and maneuverability to dictate the flow of the battle.
They still don't hit very hard against most targets, between strength 3 in melee and poisoned ranged weapons, but they compensate by getting a respectable number of attacks and being useful in almost any combat situation. I've left off most of the points costs for now because I'm still trying to get a feel for the balance of the units relative to modern codexes, but I feel that having our basic troops be solid in any field of combat is both fluffy and useful.
They still die like guardsmen though.
Kabalite Warrior
WS 4 BS 4 S 3 T 3 W 1 I 5 A 1 LD 8 SV 5+
Sybarite
WS 5 BS 5 S 3 T 3 W 2 I 5 A 2 LD 9 SV 5+
Unit type: Infantry. Sybarite is Infantry (Character).
Wargear:
Splinter Rifle.
Kabalite Armour.
Plasma Grenades.
Special Rules:
Fleet, Night Vision, Power from Pain.
Options:
• May include up to fifteen additional Kabalite Warriors. • One Kabalite Warrior may be upgraded to a Sybarite…10 pts • The Sybarite may take items from the Melee Weapons list. • The Sybarite may take any of the following: • Phantasm grenade launcher. • The Sybarite or Dracon may replace their splinter rifle with one of the following: - Splinter pistol. - Blast pistol. • One Kabalite Warrior may take an item from the Special Weapons list. If the unit numbers twenty models, then up to two may do so. • For every ten models in the unit, one Kabalite Warrior may take an item from the Heavy Weapons list. • The unit may take haywire grenades at 2 points/model. • The unit may select a Raider or Venom as a Dedicated Transport. | |
| | | Count Adhemar Dark Lord of Granbretan
Posts : 7610 Join date : 2012-04-26 Location : London
| Subject: Re: Starting a Homebrew Codex project. Tue Jul 21 2015, 07:21 | |
| Lots of double, triple (or more) posts in this thread. Please remember to use the Edit function rather than just adding post after post. Thanks - Count Adhemar
Last edited by Count Adhemar on Tue Jul 21 2015, 10:54; edited 1 time in total | |
| | | Squidmaster Klaivex
Posts : 2225 Join date : 2013-12-18 Location : Hampshire, England
| Subject: Re: Starting a Homebrew Codex project. Tue Jul 21 2015, 09:50 | |
| I've never really seen the point in EVERYTHING having Grenades as standard. If every unit ended up with Frag or Plasma Grenades (or whatever) as standard it would be pointless having the rules they negate. Do Kabalite Warriors really NEED Plasma Grenades?
I'm not trying to shoot you down or anything, just playing Devil's Advocate and pointing out that homebrews can too easily dive into personal wishlisting and forget about game balance. | |
| | | FuelDrop Hekatrix
Posts : 1392 Join date : 2015-06-21
| Subject: Re: Starting a Homebrew Codex project. Thu Jul 23 2015, 13:15 | |
| - Squidmaster wrote:
- I've never really seen the point in EVERYTHING having Grenades as standard. If every unit ended up with Frag or Plasma Grenades (or whatever) as standard it would be pointless having the rules they negate.
Do Kabalite Warriors really NEED Plasma Grenades?
I'm not trying to shoot you down or anything, just playing Devil's Advocate and pointing out that homebrews can too easily dive into personal wishlisting and forget about game balance. It's a fair point, so I'll explain my reasoning. Until now Warriors have been a ranged specialist unit. A mediocre one, but a specialist none the less. As a ranged specialist they don't really need assault grenades. To bring them in line with the fluff I'm turning them into fragile but competent generalists. Hence, their weapons are now assault weapons and give +1 attack in close combat, and assault grenades are added as standard. Dark Eldar need to be able to dictate the flow of battle, so being able to: 1) fight at full efficiency at 24" (rather than needing to get within 12" in order to mass fire). This allows them to keep the enemy at arms reach. 2) Fight effectively in close combat. Since our sole defining trait is speed, this means that we need to be able to assault into cover without dropping to I 1. You make a valid point, but since the unit's role is changing for this codex the loadout needs to change as well. KEEP PLAYING DEVIL'S ADVOCATE, I NEED TO BE KEPT IN CHECK! Now on to our other classic troops choice: Wyches! Wyches have always been CC specialists, and changing that was never on the agenda. However, in our 7th edition codex they hit like a marshmellow and were outclassed by most generalists for the same points, or by other races specialists at 1/2 the points. Their new statline is more focused. Their BS dropped because in the arenas shooting isn't exactly a prized skill, while their WS went up because if you're going to fight for centuries in a literally cut throat world of blood sports you're either good or dead. This means they'll be hitting most common foes on 3's. They're hardly peerless, but they're damn skilled. Against tau they're even better, since the blue shooty guys are going to have a hard time even landing a hit. Their basic stat line includes another change: 2 attacks base, +1 for two close combat weapons. Putting them on par with a basic ork boy. These bitches are now lightning fast and deadly accurate mincing machines. As if that's not enough, I plan to add an upgrade that lets them add poisoned 4+ to their weapons, allowing them to reliably put out a lot of wounds against most targets. This is an upgrade, so will increase their price on a per model level, but will allow them to hit first and hit hard. However, there's a trade-off. They lack any AP boosts for standard Wyches. Since this is a weakness there's no reason not to address, I've added a power weapon option for the squads. It's competing with the same slots as Wych Weapons and Venom Blades, and it can't be upgraded with poison so you can either wound reliably or ignore armour, but not both. This will probably result in mixed squads with some power weapons to threaten armour, some wych weapons to do special things, and plenty of normal wyches to be scary. In addition, I've added a special rule called "Evade" which forces hits from overwatch to be rerolled. Flamers and their ilk will still protect you, but regular guns are a LOT less scary. So, why is this buff not too good? Well, Wyches are still T 3 6+ armour, and you still have to get them to assault in the shootiest edition ever. They're not getting haywire grenades back (that goes to the Warriors now, since those guys are now all-rounders) so apart from the squad leader they're fairly useless against walkers. Finally, against Marines you can either reliably wound or reliably bypass their armour, but not both. Since Marines are the most common army out there, they seem like a good milestone to test against. Points are TBA, as usual, and I'd like to see some people throw in suggestions. Wych: WS 5 BS 3 S 3 T 3 W 1 I 6 A 2 LD 8 SV 6+ Hekatrix WS 6 BS 4 S 3 T 3 W 2 I 6 A 3 LD 9 SV 6+ Unit type: Infantry. Hekatrix is Infantry (Character). Wargear: Close Combat Weapon. Splinter Pistol. Combat Drugs. Wych Suit. Special Rules: Fleet, Night Vision, Bath of Blood. Evade: Wyches are lightning fast and unnaturally agile, making them incredibly difficult to target. All successful hits against them in the overwatch sub-phase must be rerolled. Dodge: Wyches have a 4++ save during the fight subphase. (Notable upgrade changes: All Wyches may give their Close Combat Weapons or Wych weapons the Poisoned (4+) rule for extra points per model. One Wych per 3 may replace their CCW with a power weapon, a venom blade, or both CCW and pistol with wych weapons. Also looking at giving power weapons a drop in price across the board, as 15 points for a S3 power weapon in a society that can easily manufacture them is ridiculous.) Wych weapons: Razorflails: Reroll failed hits and wounds. Shardnet + Impailer: Wielder may reroll failed dodge saves. Hydra Gauntlets: Wearer gets +1d6 attacks for two close combat weapons instead of +1. EDIT: NEW STUFF! Devices Arcane. This is a new segment of Wargear designed to give us an edge and compensate for our lack of psykers. These will cost points to purchase, generally around 5-10 points each with some exceptions. Any character or vehicle may purchase 1 of these (making them available to all squads via squad leaders), though vehicles do not have access to the full range. The exceptions are the Dracon, who may take up to 3, and our Archons, who can take a whopping 5 devices. This list is by no means complete, and I would love for more suggestions. Items marked with an * may be taken by vehicles. Cloak of shadows* (One use only): This device projects a momentary field of total darkness around the user and their squad, allowing them to vanish from sight. Use either during the enemy shooting phase or the DE assault phase (for overwatch protection). For the remainder of that phase the user and their squad gain the shrouded special rule and all units shooting at them consider it to be night fighting. (This means Stealth if over 12” away and potential formation/detachment benefits). Webway Shard (One use only, infantry only): A shard of unstable warp-matter, this device may be used to tear a rift into the webway for the purposes of rapidly repositioning. This is less risky than it sounds… but only just. Use at the start of your movement phase. The wielder and their unit may move up to 18” this phase, ignoring all terrain. At the end phase each model in the unit must make a dangerous terrain check. Soul Case (One use only): A tortured soul, captured and brought to the battlefield. When released, its pain rejuvenates nearby Dark Eldar and terrifies their foes. This device may be used in place of firing a weapon. All enemies within 12” must make a pinning check at -2 leadership. Until the beginning of the DE player’s next turn, the wielder and his unit have +1 to their Feel No Pain (or FNP 6+ if they didn’t have it before) and the fear and fearless special rules. Eldanesh Industries type 4 area force field generator: made from a design ancient when humanity first left Terra, the EIT4 generates a forcefield which is then distributed to nodes within a short range, allowing a single device to protect several individuals. The bearer and his squad gain a 5++ save. (I just wanted something that predates the DE obsession with naming things after shadow, souls, and other emo crap! In the actual codex it will be the Shield of Eldanesh. It’s functionally similar to the Shimmershields wielded by Dire Avengers.) Mind Trap* (one use only): A mind trap is a very powerful collector of warp energy, similar in design to the devices used in securing compromised webway gates. A Mind Trap is activated the first time a psyker targets the bearer or his squad with a Hex or Witchfire power. If the power is successfully manifested roll a d6. On a 2+ the power is negated, as if the squad had successfully denied the witch. If the psyker fails to manifest the power, they suffer a perils of the warp as the Mind Trap attempts to suck out their soul. EDIT number the second: I've decided that a weapon with a name as awesome as "Disintegrator Cannon" deserves better than it's gotten in recent editions. So I've upgraded its badassness considerably for this edition, making it a true threat and more importantly a hard counter to GMCs. On top of that, I've added a new gun to the game: the Disintegrator Rifle. Its role is basically to act as a sniper rifle, only unlike actual sniper rifles it's genuinely awesome. It will be available to Trueborn, along with an option to give them stealth (so they can fill a sniper role for us). Disintegrator Weapons: Firing blasts of unstable matter from a stolen sun, on impact these shots cause loss of molecular cohesion in anything short of heavy vehicle plating. On its own this is damaging enough, but the burst of radiation unleashed by the disintegrating matter cooks internal organs and fries unshielded electronics. Disintegrator Rifle: Range 36”, S 4, AP 2, Heavy 1. Precision Shots. Disintegrate*. Pinning. Disintegrator Cannon: Range 36”, S 5, AP 2, Heavy 3. Disintegrate*. Pinning. *Disintegrate: Weapons with this special rule use initiative instead of toughness to determine both wounding and instant death. Additionally, if a 6 is rolled on the ‘to wound’ roll with this weapon and the wound is not saved, the target loses d3 wounds instead of one. Finally, if a 6 is rolled when rolling armour penetration, the target vehicle takes a glancing hit unless the weapon’s strength is sufficient for the hit to penetrate. | |
| | | Tmaster Slave
Posts : 13 Join date : 2014-04-01
| Subject: Re: Starting a Homebrew Codex project. Fri Jul 24 2015, 11:48 | |
| personally i feel splinter weapons should each have their own flavour: splinter rifles should have the sniper special rule if fired when stationary shard carbines should have shred splinter cannons should count as strenght 6 and/or have fleshbane rather than poison splinter pistols and splinter pods might be cool if they were templates | |
| | | John M Kabalite Warrior
Posts : 217 Join date : 2013-03-17 Location : Aberystwyth
| Subject: Re: Starting a Homebrew Codex project. Fri Jul 24 2015, 20:00 | |
| Love the Devices Arcane section, a couple of suggestions: perhaps a device for blinding enemy infantry(fits with the mythos as well) and perhaps a device for throwing them out of position as well.
Also I've always thought the DE lacked a sniper rifle available to all sections of their army, so I present the Shrike Rifle(Splinter Weapon) : range 36" Strength 1 AP 5 Assault 1 Poison (4+) Sniper | |
| | | FuelDrop Hekatrix
Posts : 1392 Join date : 2015-06-21
| Subject: Re: Starting a Homebrew Codex project. Sat Jul 25 2015, 01:17 | |
| - John M wrote:
- Love the Devices Arcane section, a couple of suggestions: perhaps a device for blinding enemy infantry(fits with the mythos as well) and perhaps a device for throwing them out of position as well.
Also I've always thought the DE lacked a sniper rifle available to all sections of their army, so I present the Shrike Rifle(Splinter Weapon) : range 36" Strength 1 AP 5 Assault 1 Poison (4+) Sniper While I agree that DE need a sniper rifle option beyond the Hex Rifle, Sniper weapons are so bad in this edition that I added the Disintegrator Rifle to fill the niche (Though really it's closer to an Anti-Material rifle). Your Shrike rifle is an interesting concept, as I didn't think that "Sniper Rifle" and "Assault Weapon" really meshed, but it is very dark eldar. still, your design has a few minor issues: First and foremost, giving it poisoned AND sniper is somewhat redundant. Just give it Sniper and call it a day. Secondly, and this one's not your fault: Sniper weapons suck balls in 7th edition. No pinning, only psudo-rending, and they don't work against GMCs. If you'll let me I'll still add a modified version to the Special Weapons list, swapping out poisoned for pinning. On to our special weapons users... I wanted trueborn to be something special in 40k. Pretty much, they can take ANYTHING, at least anything that's not Cabal Issue. This means that if you throw points at them you can end up with a SERIOUSLY scary unit. However, they get very expensive very fast, and if you go overboard you can have them outcosting terminators with only a 4+/6++ to protect them. Really, that's the balancing factor. You CAN outfit them with an insane amount of wargear, but they can still only fire one gun per turn and they're still made of paper. In practice, I see people using this flexibility to focus each squad on a specific battlefield role. Want snipers? Give them Shadowplate and disintegrators and plant them in ruins. Want Horde-killers? Give them Shredders (which I'll be changing up this edition to be better, stronger, faster and cost $6 million) for killing stuff, Venom Blades for if they get charged, and Ghostplate so they can take a pounding. Of course, there's nothing other than points stopping you from giving them all Splinter Cannons, Ghost Plate, Blast Pistols, Agonizers, Specialist Toxins, Haywire Grenades, A WWP on the Dracon, and just going to town on the enemy. At that point you're looking (using current codex points as a guide) at something like 85 points per model, but their initial entrance will be GLORIOUS... after which they'll be shot to pieces by everything on the board. Ah yes, outfitting the Dracon with a WWP... The thing is, Dracons are in fluff high ranking members of the Kabal. As in, right up at the top. My thought was that if they're right up there, they'll have access to all sorts of cool toys beyond what even other squad leaders have, being effectively a demi-HQ in their own right. So yeah, Dracons now have access to all the cool toys that Archons do, though they get less of them. Trueborn: Trueborn: WS 5 BS 5 S 3 T 3 W 1 I 5 A 2 LD 9 SV 5+ Dracon WS 6 BS 6 S 3 T 3 W 2 I 6 A 3 LD 10 SV 5+ Unit size: 3-15 Wargear: Kabalite Armour. Splinter Rifle. Splinter Pistol. Close Combat weapon. Plasma Grenades. Special Rules: Night Vision, Fleet, Power from Pain. Options: All Trueborn in the squad may replace their Kabalite Armour with: 1) Ghostplate 2) Shadowplate* *Basically KA that grants the stealth and move through cover rules. Any trueborn may replace his splinter pistol with a blast pistol. Any trueborn may replace his CC weapon with: 1) A power weapon 2) A venom blade 3) An agonizer All trueborn may take haywire grenades. Any trueborn may replace their splinter rifle with 1) A special weapon. 2) A heavy weapon. 3) A shardcarbine. 4) A Disintegrator rifle Additionally, splinter weapons in the squad may be upgraded to fire one of the following: 1) LCAD shards 2) CTRI shards 3) SCHI shards The Dracon may take 1 item from the Arcane Wargear section. The Dracon may take up to 3 Devices Arcane. The Dracon may take 1 Artifact of Cruelty. | |
| | | John M Kabalite Warrior
Posts : 217 Join date : 2013-03-17 Location : Aberystwyth
| Subject: Re: Starting a Homebrew Codex project. Sun Jul 26 2015, 05:51 | |
| - FuelDrop wrote:
If you'll let me I'll still add a modified version to the Special Weapons list, swapping out poisoned for pinning.
sounds fine to me I do like your Disintegrator Rifle concept, but I also really enjoy the fluff around splinter weapons | |
| | | FuelDrop Hekatrix
Posts : 1392 Join date : 2015-06-21
| Subject: Re: Starting a Homebrew Codex project. Sun Jul 26 2015, 06:13 | |
| - John M wrote:
- FuelDrop wrote:
If you'll let me I'll still add a modified version to the Special Weapons list, swapping out poisoned for pinning.
sounds fine to me
I do like your Disintegrator Rifle concept, but I also really enjoy the fluff around splinter weapons Agreed. Splinter Weapons are awesome! I figure having the Shrike rifle as a cheap option (flat out swapping for the Splinter Rifle with no additional costs) while the Disitegrator rifle as an expensive but powerful option gives us good, flexible snipers. On to a squad that will never be mistaken for snipers: Bloodbrides. Bloodbrides in the current codex are, putting it nicely, underwhelming. Expensive, frail, and not very effective, if you're not running a theme list you're unlikely to waste an elites slot on them. With Trueborn being incredibly badass for this codex, Bloodbrides are going to need to be pretty special to compete. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the Fueldrop Codex Bloodbrides. These guys are going to tear through pretty much anything non-vehicle in close combat, though you'll be paying a fair chunk of points for them. In keeping with the Dracon being a mini-Archon, the Syren is a mini-Succubus in everything except gear options. Now you may have noticed a trend with this codex and be wondering: Why do the weapon skills for non-HQs get as high as they do. I mean really, WS 7 on a squad leader? Are you insane Fueldrop? Well maybe, but that's beside the point. The reason that I've made several attributes scale up from troop to elite to squad leader in the way that they do is simple: It's to show the progressive steps from Wych, to Bloodbride, to Syren, until finally you arrive as a Succubus. In the 7th edition codex all Wyches who aren't Succubi are WS 4, so you basically have them fighting their way up the ranks to Syren and then suddenly and with no intermediate stage they jump all the way to WS 8. My way there's no massive jumps like that between the HQ and the troops they're descended from, there's a clear line of progression. Also, in universe even the most badass space marine commanders are maybe a thousand years old. Dark Eldar, being functionally immortal if they're successful, tend to be as old if not older and living lives that are at least as dangerous. Why shouldn't they be comparably skilled in their specialty? Bloodbrides: Bloodbride: WS 6 BS 4 S 3 T 3 W 1 I 6 A 3 LD 9 SV 6+ Syren WS 7 BS 5 S 3 T 3 W 2 I 7 A 4 LD 10 SV 6+ Unit type: Infantry. Syren is Infantry (Character). Wargear: Close Combat Weapon. Splinter Pistol. Combat Drugs. Wych Suit. Special Rules: Fleet, Night Vision, Bath of Blood, Rampage. Evade: Bloodbrides are lightning fast and unnaturally agile, making them incredibly difficult to target. All successful hits against them in the overwatch sub-phase must be rerolled. Dodge: Bloodbrides have a 4++ save during the fight subphase. If the Syren is fighting in a challenge, this improves to 3++ Lords of the arena: Bloodbrides are incredibly skilled veterans, with thousands of years of combat experience in one of the most literally cut-throat arenas in the galaxy. Their attacks always benefit from the Rending USR, and they gain the preferred enemy special rule when not outnumbered or when fighting in a challenge. Options: Bloodbrides may take poisoned close combat weapons and poisoned wych weapons. Any Bloodbride may exchange their splinter pistol with a blaster pistol. Any Bloodbride may exchange their CCW for. 1) A venom blade 2) A power sword 3) An Agonizer 4) An Electrocorrosive Whip. Any Bloodbride may exchange their pistol and CCW with a Wych Weapon. One Bloodbride may be upgraded to a Syren. The Syren may make one of their weapons master crafted. The Syren may take 1 Arcane Device. The Syren may take a Phantasm Grenade Pack. EDIT: The Voidraven. A stealth bomber with no stealth, 1 bomb, and a loadout that favors shoring up our pitiful AA rather than actually bombing targets. This one didn't take much effort to rework, to be honest. Most of the changes were blindingly obvious, really. For those of you wondering why the Void Mine no longer has Lance... how the heck could a large blast weapon have lance?!? And because everyone was clamoring for it, the Voidraven is getting a Strength D bomb. However, it's not the Void Mine. Voidraven Bomber: BS 4, F10 S10 R10, 3HP, Type: Flyer. Wargear: 2 Void Lances. Void Mine. Night Shields. Special rules: Night Vision, Supersonic, Strafing Run. Stealth Bomber: When the Voidraven comes into play from reserve it gains the Shrouded special rule until the beginning of the Dark Eldar player’s next turn. Additionally, the Void Raven gains a 5+ cover save if nightfighting is in effect. Supersonic Strike: A Void Raven that did not drop a bomb in the movement phase may drop one when moving flat out in the shooting phase. Options: A Void Raven may replace its Void Lances with Void Scythes. A Void Raven may take up to 4 bombs, in addition to its standard void mine. These can be chosen from the following list in any combination (will have a point cost): 1) Vitriol Bomb: Range -, Strength 1, AP -, Bomb 1, Poisoned 2+, Ignores Cover, Soulfright*, Large Blast, One use only 2) Nightbringer Bomb: Range -, Strength 1, AP -, Bomb 1, Poisoned 2+, Darkness Descends**, Soulfright*, Large Blast, One use only 3) Void Mine: Range -, Strength 9, AP 2, Bomb 1, Armourbane, Blind, Large Blast, One use only. 4) (0-1) Singularity Bomb: Range -, Strength D/7/5, AP 1/3/5, Bomb 1, Apocalyptic Mega-blast, One use only. *Soulfright: A unit hit by a soulfright weapon must make a pinning check at the end of the round. If they fail they take 1 wound with no Armour or Cover saves allowed for every point they failed by. **Darkness Descends: A unit hit by a weapon with this rule treats all other units as if nightfighting were in effect. At the end of the controlling player’s turn roll a dice. On a 1-3 the effect ends. On a 4-6 the effect continues. Continue rolling until either the effect or the game ends. A Void Raven may take a Flicker Field. A Void Raven may take 1 Device Arcane. EDIT 2: More air support, this time our fighter. One thing we've been sucking at for the last few editions is dealing with enemy air support, given that our surface to air options are all but non-existent (Taking Imperial fortifications? Have we sunk this low?) and our air-to-air has been lacking at... well, frankly everything. I plan to change this, since something like a Helldrake can give us a really bad day and we have no practical counter. Since the Voidraven bomber now carries bombs (cue angry rants) Implosion missiles have migrated over to our fighters. However, they have competition in the form of the new Skyscythe Air-to-air missiles being added to our arsenal. Hitting at S 9 AP 2 and ignoring cover (no jink for you!) but only able to fire as Skyfire, these fun new toys are sure to add a little punch to our air defenses. But wait, there's more! Razorwings now come with Flickerfields as standard, allowing them at least a chance of surviving a stiff breeze. They can also vector dance, allowing you to outmaneuver those damn Mon-keigh flighers at last. On top of that, a Razorwing can now designate up to 2 weapons a turn to have the interceptor rule, allowing us a good old first strike in air-to-air combat or, alternatively, an implosion missile at those terminators who just teleported in. You have to commit to whether you're going for air or ground interception before the enemy starts rolling their reserve rolls though, and if you made the wrong choice then tough. Finally (as if more was required), a fluffy ability. You remember how Razorwing pilots set their engines up to scream loudly as they fly overhead? Well, now there's rules for that too! The Razorwing: Razorwing Jetfighter. BS 4, F10 S10 R10, HP 3, Type: Vehicle [Flyer] Wargear: 2 Disintegrators Twin-Linked Splinter Rifle 4 Monoscythe Missiles Flickerfield Special Rules: Night Vison, Supersonic, Vector Dance. Interception: At the start of the enemy movement phase, before reserve rolls are made, a Razorwing can declare two of its weapons to have the Interceptor special rule and must choose whether or not these weapons are Skyfire. Supersonic Scream: When a Razorwing moves flat out, choose one unit they pass over. At the end of the shooting phase that unit must make a pinning check at -2. Options: A Razorwing may upgrade its twin-linked Splinter Rifle to a Splinter Cannon. A Razorwing may exchange its Disintigrators with Dark Lances. A Razorwing may exchange one or more of its Monoscythe Missiles with the following, in any combination adding up to 4 missiles total: 1) Necrotoxin Missile 2) Shatterfield Missile 3) Implosion Missile 4) Skyscythe Missile* A Razorwing may take a Shadowshield A Razorwing may take 1 Device Arcane *Skyscythe Missile: Range 48”, S 9, AP 2, Assault 1, Ignores Cover, Skyfire (only), 1 use only. | |
| | | FuelDrop Hekatrix
Posts : 1392 Join date : 2015-06-21
| Subject: Re: Starting a Homebrew Codex project. Wed Jul 29 2015, 10:20 | |
| Now on to some heavy support. Let's look at our classic cardboard tank: The Ravager. While it's less frail than a Raider, that's about the same as saying "Look, this dry tissue paper is tougher than when it's wet!"
The fact is that in 7th edition the Ravager is, at best, kinda meh. For the same points as a baseline Ravager a space marine player could field an AC/2LC predator, which has comparable firepower to the DL Ravager with massively better survivability to boot. Our only strength is that we're faster than them, but even then we can't move far without gimping our own firepower. We also can't take Squadrons. Now of course we can jink and they can't, but when you stop to think about it you realize that with no TL weapons jinking basically makes our Ravager a waste of points as it can't hit anything any more.
So, time to address all this and more with the Fueldrop Codex Ravager. Some notes: Independent Targeting helps somewhat overcome our very limited overlapping field of fire, allows us to maximize damage potential against targets of opportunities (like deep striking and getting rear armour on multiple enemy vehicles), and the ability to snap fire at BS2 means that both jinking is less horrible for us and Ravagers can act as AA in a pinch:
Ravager:
BS 4, F 11 S 11 R 10, Vehicle [fast skimmer]
Unit composition: a squadron of 1-3 Ravagers
Wargear:
3 Disintegrator Cannons
Special Rules:
Night Fighting, Deep Strike (Deploy lead Ravager first, then roll scatter. Deploy other Ravagers within 4 inches of first Ravager.)
Independent Targeting: Each weapon on a Ravager may target a different unit (though not one forced to disembark by another weapon fired by this unit) and Ravagers in the squadron may select targets independent of other members of the squadron. Additionally, Ravagers fire snap shots at BS 2.
Aerial Assault: Ravagers may fire all their weapons when moving at cruising speed.
Hunter Shard: If the unit contains 3 Ravagers, they gain the Monster Hunter and Tank Hunter special rules.
Options: May replace 1 or more Disintegrator Cannons with Dark Lances (Free) May take 1 Device Arcane May take vehicle upgrades | |
| | | daveyo Hellion
Posts : 73 Join date : 2015-07-01
| Subject: Re: Starting a Homebrew Codex project. Wed Jul 29 2015, 17:20 | |
| Here are my ideas re Detachment and Formations
REALSPACE RAIDERS DETACHMENT
Compulsory
1HQ 2 Troops 1 Fast Attack
Optional 1 HQ 4 Troops 3 Elites 5 Fast Attack 3 Heavy Support 3 Dark Eldar Formations (Coven, Kabal or Wych in any combination)
Restrictions
All units in the detachment must have the Dark Eldar Faction
Benefits
Realspace Raider – Re-roll Warlord Trait Hunt From the Shadows – During the first game turn and any in which the Night Fighting rules are in effect, ALL units in the detachment have the Shrouded special rule Strategic Ambush – All Fast attack units including those as part of an integral formation, can arrive from reserve with the Outflank special rule (or deep strike if they have that rule) and the reserve rolls for such units can be made with a +/-1 Modifier
KABALITE RAIDING PARTY - Formation
FORMATION • 1 Archon • 1 Court of the Archon • 6 Units of Kabalite Warriors • 0-2 Units of Kabalite Trueborn* • 0-2 Units of Incubi* • 0-2 Units of Scourges# • 0-2 Units of Hellions# • 0-2 Razorwing Jetfighters# • 1 Ravager • 0-1 Voidraven Bomber * Must include at least 1 Elite Choice # Must include at least 2 Fast Attack Choices
Benefits Tactical Genius – All units in the Raiding Party have the Objective Secured special rule Secrets & Lies – The Archon is a master of misdirection, and has planned for all eventualities. All reserve rolls may be re-rolled, and all successful enemy reserve rolls must be re-rolled if the Archon so wishes
Restrictions Mounted Assault – All units that can take a dedicated transport must do so, excluding the Archon.
LEGENDS OF THE ARENA - Formation
FORMATION • 1 Succubus • 1 Unit of Bloodbrides • 2-5 Units of Wyches
Benefits Lightning Assault – All units in the Formation may embark, disembark, move shoot and charge from open topped vehicles that have moved at up to cruising speed and not just combat speed Nexus of Pain – In the fury of combat, all Gladiators feel the Power from Pain with a greater intensity. In the fight subphase of any melee combat, any model in the unit considers the turn to be one higher on the Power from Pain table
Restrictions Mounted Assault – All units that can take a dedicated transport must do so, excluding the Succubus Legends All – All units must take the maximum number of character upgrades
TERROR GANGS OF COMMORAGH - Formation
FORMATION • 3-5 Units of Hellions
Benefits Fear – Swarming the battlefield with wild screams and furious assaults, all units in the formation cause fear Fly-by – The gangs delight in swooping past their foe, cutting a bloody swathe and vanishing into the night. In any successful charge a fly-by may be attempted. Resolve the Hellions Hammer of Wrath if appropriate, pile-in and first attacks (including those in any challenge). Before any enemy action, roll the Hit and Run Initiative test, if failed then combat continues as normal. If successful then all eligibile enemy combatants must pass an Initiative test to either pile-in and/or attack in return (including any challenges) then the Hellions are gone! Enemy who fail the Initiative test may not attack. Roll the 3D6 Hit and Run move and escape. Morale tests are taken by the enemy unit like shooting attacks…the Hellions themselves are Fearless during the Fly-by
Restrictions Gang Leaders – All units must take the maximum number of character upgrades
REAVER FLIGHT - Formation
FORMATION • 3-5 Units of Reavers
Benefits Peerless Speed – The Reaver Flight are the most accomplished pilots of the fastest bikes in the Webway. Each model adds 3” to move, assault move and charge distances. In addition the skilled rider special rule adds +2 to jink saves and not the normal +1 Bladevane Assault – Reaver Flight are masters of the high speed assault, scattering caltrops and cutting foes to bloody ribbons with their bladevanes in a single pass. All Hammer of Wrath attacks made by the unit have the Shred special rule
Restrictions Flight Coordinators – All units must take the maximum number of character upgrades
FORCES OF THE WYCH CULT - Formation
FORMATION • 1 Legends of the Arena • 1 Terror Gangs of Commoragh • 1 Reaver Flight
Benefits Wych Cult United – The diverse warriors of the Wych Cults fight well individually, but co-ordinate their attacks with perfection when striking together. Any melee in which any two of Hellions, Reavers or any of the Wych units (Wych/Bloodbride/Succubus) are in combat against a single enemy unit together results in a re-roll to all failed to-hit rolls for all cult units in that melee Well Supplied – The Wych cult has an abundance of resources and manpower with which to arm it’s endless line of warriors. The following items are free of points cost for each unit • Cluster Caltrops are free for Reaver Flight • Upgrades to Helliarch from Hellions are free for The Terror Gangs of Commoragh • Wych cult weapons are free for the Legends of the Arena
Restrictions None
THE HOST OF SHADOWS - Formation
FORMATION • 4-6 Units of Mandrakes
Benefits Shadows of Aelindrach – Sealing a deal with the powers of the shadow realm, the warlord summons a host of Mandrakes from the dark. All units of Mandrakes in the formation are held in reserve…and all arrive on the same turn. Units deep strike perfectly without scattering within 6” of any terrain feature, but no closer than 6” to any enemy model. On the turn they arrive they may shoot or run, but may not charge Come the Night – On the turn that the Mandrakes slink from the shadows, a darkness falls over the battlefield and all light fails. Nightfight is in effect for that turn, and until the start of the Dark Eldar players next turn
Restrictions None
THE VOID HUNTERS - Formation
FORMATION • 2-3 Ravagers
Benefits Fire Control – Though they may move across the battlefield in different directions to get a better firing solution, the Ravagers use a custom targeting matrix and centuries of gunnery experience to co-ordinate fire to bring down the largest of enemies. If 2 Ravagers target the same enemy unit, then all hits may re-roll to damage or penetrate armour. If 3 Ravagers target the same enemy unit then all misses may also be re-rolled Master Gunners – Unfazed by return fire, unmoved by the havoc of war, the Ravager gunners aim and fire with matchless accuracy in the most difficult situations. All snap shots with the Ravagers guns are made at a BS of 2 not the usual 1
Restrictions Corsair Gunners – The Ravagers must all take the Corsair Gunners upgrade (Snap fire at BS 2, and move at cruising speed and still fire all 3 guns at full BS
INCUBUS SHRINE - Formation
FORMATION • 0-1 Drazhar • 3 Units of Incubi
Benefits Unstoppable Assault – The Incubi are perfectly centred warriors, each an absolute master in the art of death. An assault from those incubi fresh from the Shrine of Arhra is a thing of terrible beauty as each warrior dances through a hail of fire, sways aside from oncoming attacks and cuts down his victims with choreographed ease. All models in this formation have an Invulnerable 5+ save against Overwatch, and once engaged force the enemy unit to re-roll all successful melee hits in the combat Whispers of Death – The Incubi may choose to assault through rents in the Webway, each Klaivex holds a Dusk Shard crystal that allows them to step soundlessly from the shadows into realspace…and with their incredible focus charge directly into brutal combat. . All units of Incubi in the formation are held in reserve…and all arrive on the same turn. Units deep strike perfectly without scattering within 6” of any terrain feature, but no closer than 6” to any enemy model. On the turn they arrive they may charge even though this is not normally allowed
Restrictions Masters of War – All units of Incubi in the formation must take the Klaivex upgrade Master of Blades – If Drazhar is in the formation, then he must join one of the units of Incubi to arrive…but may leave the unit immediately if he desires
Do you like this fellow Archons? | |
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