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Back in the days of Slaves to Darkness Khorne had a special hate-on for sorcerers, but that was because He subjected them to the special torture of spending an eternity in the toil of making magical weapons. World Eater Librarians had no psychic powers, at least in game terms:

Slaves to Darkness wrote:Long ago, World Eater Librarians lost many of their recording duties as scribes and all their psychic abilities. They now serve only as tally-keepers recording the numbers slain in Khorne's name by individuals and squads. Their other duty is to provide valuable communications support on the battlefield.

This was retconned as the World Eater's killing all of their Libarians, and I think the current Horus Heresy stuff has them plugged as having no Libarium organization in the first place, like the Emperor's Children, and Death Guard.

But I like the idea of Sorcerers with the Mark of Khorne, individuals that have sought to stave off their annihilation by Khorne by submitting themselves to Him body and soul that He might cleanse the universe of their psychic taint. A sort of Chaotic penitent.

Instead of psychic powers, they'd get the Mark of Khorne and a selection of Khorne Daemonic Gifts, including a version of Skarbrand's Rage Embodied, and both Soul Devourer and Hellblade instead of a Force Weapon.

Wargear
Hellblade
Soul Devourer
Power Armour
Rune of Khorne (as Space Wolf Runic Weapons)
Bolt Pistol
Frag & Krak Grenades

Options for Mark of Khorne (Instead of Psychic Powers):
Fury of Khorne
Blessing of the Blood God
Rage Embodied

Nice idea.
One thing that would be cool for them, as was mentioned in the quote you give, is that they tallied kills for their unit.

So an ability like this would be sweet:

Kill Counter:
The Librarians of the World Eaters not only fight and kill like the rest of their legion, but are also tasked with counting the kills of their fellow legionnaires in battles. As the kill count grows higher, the blood lust of the Legionnaires grows higher.
While the Librarian is on the table, keep a count of models killed by followers of Khorne (Daemons that follow Khorne, models with the Mark of Khorne, both friends and enemies) when within 24" of the Librarian. At the start of your turn, consult the following table to determine the effect of the Kill Counter. From the beginning of that turn, and as long as the Librarian is on the table, these cumulative bonuses affect all followers of Khorne, both friend and foe.
0-7: Nothing
8-12: All followers of Khorne gain Furious Charge. If they already had Furious Charge, they get +2 S on the charge instead of +1.
13-17: All followers of Khorne gain Rage and +1 A.
18-22: All followers of Khorne must Sweeping Advance if able and gain Feels No Pain.
23+: All attacks from followers of Khorne ignore armor saves

World Eaters Librarian, 105 points
WS5 BS5 S4 T4 W2 I5 A2 LD10 SV3+/5++
Unit Composition: 1 Librarian
Wargear: As in the OP
Options: As in the OP
Special Rules: Independent Character, Kill Counter (as above)

18-22: Sweeping Advance is already mandatory in 5th edition. It was optional in 4th.

Nurglitch wrote:
Wargear
Hellblade
Soul Devourer
Power Armour
Rune of Khorne (as Space Wolf Runic Weapons)
Bolt Pistol
Frag & Krak Grenades

Options for Mark of Khorne (Instead of Psychic Powers):
Fury of Khorne
Blessing of the Blood God
Rage Embodied

Just a small nitpick. Some of these are Chaos Daemon-specific gifts as opposed to CSM wargear/special rules. You may want to rename them into a new special rule. It's like me creating a new Space Marine unit and saying that the sergeant in that unit has a Nemesis Force Weapon and Blood Chalice, both of which doesn't exist in the SM codex.




Automatically Appended Next Post:

Vladsimpaler wrote:Nice idea.
One thing that would be cool for them, as was mentioned in the quote you give, is that they tallied kills for their unit.

So an ability like this would be sweet:

Kill Counter:
The Librarians of the World Eaters not only fight and kill like the rest of their legion, but are also tasked with counting the kills of their fellow legionnaires in battles. As the kill count grows higher, the blood lust of the Legionnaires grows higher.
While the Librarian is on the table, keep a count of models killed by followers of Khorne (Daemons that follow Khorne, models with the Mark of Khorne, both friends and enemies) when within 24" of the Librarian. At the start of your turn, consult the following table to determine the effect of the Kill Counter. From the beginning of that turn, and as long as the Librarian is on the table, these cumulative bonuses affect all followers of Khorne, both friend and foe.
0-7: Nothing
8-12: All followers of Khorne gain Furious Charge. If they already had Furious Charge, they get +2 S on the charge instead of +1.
13-17: All followers of Khorne gain Rage and +1 A.
18-22: All followers of Khorne must Sweeping Advance if able and gain Feels No Pain.
23+: All attacks from followers of Khorne ignore armor saves

While I like your idea of the Kill Counter, your rule is kind of OTT. Beserkers are already nasty enough without adding more special rules. Now a furiously charging beserker with FNP and 5-6 S6 power weapon attacks on the charge?!? That's just plain broken.

Vladsimpaler wrote:
World Eaters Librarian, 105 points
WS5 BS5 S4 T4 W2 I5 A2 LD10 SV3+/5++
Unit Composition: 1 Librarian
Wargear: As in the OP
Options: As in the OP
Special Rules: Independent Character, Kill Counter (as above)

Regular marines have BS4, I4 and no Inv saves. Why should World Eater librarians be so much better for about the same cost?

Extremely interesting stuff here. Thank you Nurglitch.

jy2 wrote:Regular marines have BS4, I4 and no Inv saves. Why should World Eater librarians be so much better for about the same cost?

It is not a Librarian, it is a Sorcerer. He pays for his powers (or gifts, or wargear), and they are expensive. Taking this in, this guy is awesome expensive and far weaker than a regular Sorcerer.
If this is not the case and he works as a Librarian (free powers) then the cost must be a lot higher.

WS5 BS5 S4 T4 W2?? I5 A2?? LD10 SV3+/5++??
Statline nerfed?? Makes no sense. The Mark of Khorne does not make you weaker.

My take:
World Eaters Librarian, 100 points (sorcerer) + 10(MoK) + 20 (Kill Counter; perhaps more) = 130.
WS5 BS5 S4 T4 W3 I5 A3 (4 due to MoK) LD10 SV3+/5++: same as Sorcerers. Mark of Khorne must be added.
Unit Composition: 1 Librarian (but NOT a vanilla one)
Wargear: As is vanilla Sorcerer. Add Mark of Khorne.
Options: As in the OP. Add the vanilla Sorcerer options (with the obvious exceptions). Add the wargear proposed as options to be paid for. A cost should be proposed for every option.
Special Rules: Independent Character, Kill Counter (as above)

Vladsimpaler´s Kill Counter sounds pretty well. It is strong though.

I am missing the line "Mark of Khorne" line in the wargear.

Actually I really like Vladsimpaler's idea, but I'd change it so that it's copy-pasta of Epidemius' with the exception of all dead models counting, as Khorne cares not from whence the blood flows..., though seriously because it's characterful.

Make that an option:

Librarian of Khorne
Unit Type: Infantry (Independent Character)
Same Characteristics as Chaos Sorcerer
Where other Marks give access to one/two psychic powers, the Mark of Khorne gives the Librarian one of:

The Tally of Skulls: Librarians may serve as tally-keepers recording the numbers slain in Khorne's name by individuals and squads. Whilst the Librarian is on the table, keep a count of all models (friend or foe!) killed anywhere on the table. At the start of your turns, consult the table below to determine the effect of the Tally of Skulls. From the beginning of that turn, as as long as the Librarian is on the table, these cumulative bonuses affect all followers of Khorne (friend or foe!).

Casualties...Effect
1-7...Effect
8-15...Rage on all units with Mark of Khorne
16-23...Rending on all units with Mark of Khorne
24+...All attacks from followers of Khorne ignore armour saves.

The Hatred of Khorne: The Librarian broadcasts the hatred of Khorne Itself to the battlefield. The Librarian and every unit within 24" of the Libarian (friend and foe alike!) must re-roll failed rolls to hit in close combat.

Blessings of the Blood God: The Skull-Rune of Khorne is itself is antithetical to sorcery, and a Librarian who wears this brand upon his brow drowns out nearby sorcery by screaming Khorne's hatred of sorcery into the aether. Whenever an enemy model succeeds on a Psychic test within 24" of the bearer, roll a dice - on the roll of a 4+ that power is nullified.[/b]

The Rage of Khorne The Librarian broadcasts the rage of Khorne Itself to the battlefield. The Librarian and every unit within 24" of the Libarian (friend and foe alike!) have the universal special rule Rage.

HERESY! Khorne would not be pleased!

I rather like it, although I'd say let him have two of the powers, like a SM libby, rather than just one.

I'm not too keen on "everyone in 24" has Rage", though. That seems pretty broken.

I prefer to think of it as hilariously broken.

Okay, I'll agree on "unplayably, but hilariously broken".

Sounds quite good. Perhaps too much. Some players will have problems with "Rage for everyone". Too much randomness for many people.

Options? Wargear? Cost?
Will the cost work as a Librarian´s or as a Sorcerer´s?

Khorne librarians? BOOKS FOR THE BOOK GOD!!!

Seriously, I like the idea of penitent khorne psykers, but I'd think it would go more along the lines of that they still have psychic powers, but are endlessly torturing themselves with repression, like a gay guy trying to like women.

Because they no longer can control their psychic abilities (part of pretending like they don't have them), I'd expect them to explode out all at once.

I'd imagine something like a deathstrike. The model is like a champion, except an independent character. You roll once per turn, maybe with some modifiers or something. On the turn that his psychic power is rolled for, something amazing happens, after which the librarian is treated as a casualty.

What that amazing is could be anything, or perhaps random (roll a 1D6. On a 1, it's a S3 assault 60 attack, on a 2, anything within 6" of the model takes a wound (armor saves apply), on a 3, any one of your opponent's models is simply removed from play, etc.)

I thought Khorne was Anti-Psyker though... Hence BotBG, and Khorne Daemons using whips as ranged attacks rather than throwing bolts of warp at the enemy...

Correct me if i'm wrong though.

Khorne isn't anti-psyker as much as He's anti-everything. According to the original fluff he hated them enough to preserve their souls in eternal torture and thralldom. So presumably the fate of a Librarian of Khorne is worse than death. Striking at psykers through another psyker is the chaotic thing to do. Ignoring the Rage of Khorne as hilariously unplayable, the three options allow your Librarian to have various foresworn powers in favour of Tallying Skulls and drawing the favour of Khorne up from Hell, using his powers to broadcast the raw hatred of Khorne itself into the material universe to either incite hatred or disrupt magic. So absent entirely, turned back on itself, and defensive.

Nurglitch wrote:Khorne isn't anti-psyker as much as He's anti-everything. According to the original fluff he hated them enough to preserve their souls in eternal torture and thralldom. So presumably the fate of a Librarian of Khorne is worse than death. Striking at psykers through another psyker is the chaotic thing to do. Ignoring the Rage of Khorne as hilariously unplayable, the three options allow your Librarian to have various foresworn powers in favour of Tallying Skulls and drawing the favour of Khorne up from Hell, using his powers to broadcast the raw hatred of Khorne itself into the material universe to either incite hatred or disrupt magic. So absent entirely, turned back on itself, and defensive.

This is some good gak man, I love it. I now really want to write a World Eaters Legion codex. You and I have some pretty similar views on how Chaos (and Khorne) work. I liked the original version of Khorne the best, not the whole mamby-pamby "martial honor" Khorne that was later developed or even the "lolol close combat" Khorne that we are now suffering through.

feth yeah dude, let's go kill civilians.
My favorite Khornate unit from Slaves to Darkness were the Company of the Chosen, which were the Assault Marines of the legion
Not only did they have to test for Frenzy when they were near enemies, but they were literally insane. Their fluff is downright creepy.

Slaves to Darkness wrote:
Their delight in pain and death is so strong that they have been known to fall on their own chainswords as sacrifices to the Blood God

Now that, my friends, is utter, insane devotion.

If you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go get started on that codex. If anyone would like to collaborate with me, that'd be fantastic.

The gods will be pleased.

There was a short story in Let the Galaxy Burn, Simon Jowett´s Apothecary´s Honor, about an apothecary of the World Eaters. That would be really interesting too.

da001 wrote:The gods will be pleased.

There was a short story in Let the Galaxy Burn, Simon Jowett´s Apothecary´s Honor, about an apothecary of the World Eaters. That would be really interesting too.

OOh, that'd be funny.

World Eaters Medic: This unit ignores the first D3 wounds it sustains in a turn. If you roll a natural 1, one of the models in this squad is killed instead. (The medic goes crazy and kills someone)

Obviously an ability that is a WIP but it's still pretty funny.

I wonder what would happen if the guys was given the item of Khorne that stops Phsycic powers? Other than a smell of roasting flesh and screaming, obviously.

I likey. I likey alot.

Though honestly, "Tallyman" style heroes would be cool for all the gods, and would really help us out since we lack Chaplains.

Mind you, we have Daemon Princes, but they just aren't the same.