Mandrake Clans

The idea about the Commoragh game is something I find great, and I particularly felt for developing ideas for rules for a gang of Mandrakes. Here are some stuff I made up some week ago (no very much fluff though). Note however that I do not have much knowledge about the Necromunda set-up; I know more about Mordheims.

One problem I've been thinking about was that I wasn't sure about how powerful a gangmember should be from start. A Dark Eldar has quite a good profile, but should it be so at the creation of the gang? I mean, they must gain some experience first, right?

First, I came up with some kind of warrior choice table, considering there might be some more kinds of mandrakes than just the regular one and nightfiends.
Thought the leaders of them could be Phantomkin, some particular powerful bloodline (or should I say darkline?) for mandrakes.

Phantomkin
Cost to recruit: Not sure here.

WS: 5 BS: 4 S: 4 T: 3 W: 1 I: 6 A: 3 Ld: 9

Wargear: The Phantomkin may be equipped with wargear chosen from the Mandrake Equipment list.

Special Rules:
Fleet, Power from Pain, Stealth, Invulnerable Save (5+)
Leader: Any group member within 6" of the Phantomkin may use his Leadership when taking a Leadership test.
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Here my thoughts was manely, whether the Dark Eldar rules should remain in this game, and (as mentioned earlier) exactly how good each one should be in the beginning. The Phantomkin here does have a better profile than an ordinary Mandrake, but it's still not very impressive. But should it be?


Other things I've been considering is some unit called the Frost Priest (Baleblast expert or something), Khymerae being available to include (not sure there, but they do fit somewhat, right?), and also that weaker mandrakes early on cannot get Baleblast until they've learned it, or that they all have it from start, but differently powerful.

How does it sound in general?

I love the idea of a frost priest, as well as not starting with baleblast. Maybe have baleblast as one of the skill charts, with the skills adding range, power, and other effects?

could have it similar to the spyro gang charts, each individual type of spyro had a unique upgrade/skill table to roll on, i love the necromunder game and how a juve ganger with some lucky dice rolls can become very talented. i would like to see lower state lines to start with rookies giving time to gain experience and to get better skilled.

I am not sure how it is in necromunda, but in mordheim the henchmen cannot gain skills until they have become a hero (that lad's got talent), and if it will be similar here then it would take quite some time for the regular mandrakes to be able to use baleblast - I dunno really if that is how it should be. It might even take time for the more experienced 'drakes (Night Fiends and Phantomkin) to get the skill. As such, I was thinking about an option which I mentioned before - perhaps all mandrakes have the blast from start (but have to get a pain token, if those will be included, to use it)?

Phantomkin Range: 18" Str: 4 Ap: 4 Type: Asault 2, Pinning
Frost Priest Range: 18" Str: 5 Ap: 4 Type: Assault 2, Pinning
Night Fiend Range: 18" Str: 4 Ap: 5 Type: Assault 2, Pinning
Mandrake Range: 18" Str: 4 Ap: 6 Type: Assault 1, Pinning

As you probably understood, this is just brainstorming. I am not at all sure about how it should be, particularly since the mane rules for the game aren't done either, but I think I am a little more into the first (with the baleblast skill)

Hello - I just thought I could put up a photo of how a Frost Priest perhaps might look.





(Hopefully, this ain't necromancy, but I figured this topic would be the most fitting for those pics. Well, unless we should have a thread with pics of units made for CtG)

Love it! That's really, really good.

Thanks - it feels a little however that my Frost Priest has got some similarities with Emperor Palpatine (not that that is something bad for a DE, of course!)...

One thing about Baleblast. The option that I think sounds best, is that Baleblast is a special skill that all Mandrake kinds can learn (but Frost Priest have it from start), it works pretty much the same as in the current codex and if they have it it gets stronger should they get more than one pain token. How does that sound?

I like the idea of Mandrakes but I fear they would need nightmarishly complex rules to bring out their character properly.

Or shall we not worry about them jumping in and out of shadows?

(I visualise a `drake out for a walk would not proceed from A-B, but would visit T and J, not to mention 6 and 2...as well as % and @....In several dimensions. What looks like a convoluted route to us, might not be to him.)

Your frost priest is very good.

Well, I was thinking that this with walking in shadows would be somewhat simplified, giving them (as shown up there) just stealth at start and then perhaps having Infiltrate and Move Through Cover as special skills. In fact, I was thinking that the Mandrake Special Skill table could be something like this:

- Aura of Cold: An enemy model fighting a Mandrake with this skill has 1 less Initiative

- Baleblast: If a Mandrake with this skill have at least one Pain Token, it has the following Shooting attack:
Baleblast Range: 18" Str: 4 Ap: 4 Type: Assault 2, Pinning

- Light Absorbation: A model firing a ranged weapon on a Mandrake with this skill suffer from a -6" penalty to the weapons range.

- Shadow Stalker: A Mandrake with this skill has the Infiltration special rule.

- Block Hunter (or whatever): A Mandrake with this skill has the Move Through Cover special rule.

Then again, the idea with going from one shadow to another does feel interesting but, as you just said, very complex. I guess it could be another skill, as I frankly think it would be a bit overpowered if all 'drakes had that ability from start. Perhaps, if a mandrake with that skill stands 2" to one model, it can be taken away and instead placed 2" from any other model on the battlefield? Supposedly, that would be happen in the assault phase, so it would ba able to charge, but not shoot.

Edit: Something I just remembered though, is that at the Skill Lists topic the Mandrakes have the Balefire skill list, and that there are Stealth skills there as well. Those would of course make it a little different, I can imagine, so maybe all this with skills fits better on that thread...

http://www.mordheimer.com/warbands/unofficial/shadow.htm

Have a look at the spells down at the bottom of the page, especially 'wings of darkness.'

Indeed - the way those Wings of Darkness does look quite fitting, as does some of the other spells and skills there (particularly Shadowbind). However, there is one thing I feel does not fit in Commoragh, and that is psychic powers; I have at least always read that psykers are not allowed there.
However, some teleporting in form of a skill or special rule might work, either as something that Mandrakes start with or that they learn later on (maybe from the stealth table?).

Yeah, it would have to be reworked to not be a psychic power..

Exactly. Not really sure where to place it though, thinking if it should be in the Stealth table or in the Balefire (which then maybe should have a different name)... Or perhaps just have it as something they can get during the game - f.ex, what if it was one of their Pain Token effects?


And another thing; I am seriously ambivalent about the Baleblast. I really can't decide if it should be something they have from start or if it should be a skill. Actually starting a little to wonder, if it is perhaps best to just have Baleblast as their first Pain Token gains (supposedly along with something else, such as Fear or Acute Senses), and that Frost Priest start with one..?