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2012/06/02 17:34:17
Subject: Nippon fanbook! Very rough wip (I'm not every good at this am I?)
I've had a bit of time on my hands so I decided to take whatever creative juices school has not crushed out of me and make a fanbook! So I decided to do Nippon, or at least the humans of Nippon.
But I get the feeling that this probably isnt all that good. Its not even a full out army yet, no point costs or items yet.
Once I gotten most of the roughness out and if theres a decent demand, I'll attempt to make a pdf out of it.
Bit of basic fluff on the units and the special rules they have
Spoiler:
Heads of the Clan
Nippon is a very fragmented state, each piece of land is controlled by the various Clans. At the top of the Clan hierarchy is the lord who bears the pride and honor of the clan name and below him are his relatives or other capable generals and leaders. In times of war they muster their forces of Bushi and Attendants and march to the heat of battle.
Bushi
The warrior elite of Nippon are the Bushi. Born and raised on the arts of war, these warriors are skilled to near perfected. Such greatness is their training that they are masters in all types of weapons form the naginata to their signature bows. Some Bushi forgo armor to wield massive swords that they can expertly swing just as fast as normal warriors can. The best of the Bushi are the clan's guardians, unwavering in the face of death and are ready to bring their wrath onto their enemies.
Bushi
M4 WS4 BS4 S3 T3 W1 I4 A1 Ld8
Senior Bushi
M4 WS4 BS4 S3 T3 W1 I4 A2 Ld8
Bushi Cavalry
M4 WS4 BS4 S3 T3 W1 I4 A1 Ld8
Heavy Sword Bushi
M4 WS4 BS4 S3 T3 W1 I3 A1 Ld8
Heavy Sword Senior Bushi
M4 WS4 BS4 S3 T3 W1 I3 A2 Ld8
Bushi Masters
M4 WS5 BS5 S4 T3 W1 I4 A2 Ld8
Lord's Retainer
M4 WS5 BS5 S4 T3 W1 I4 A3 Ld8
Nipponese Magic and Wizards
Just as anywhere else, the winds of magic flow through Nippon and is a highly respected force. Those that harness the winds are known as Diviners and Mystics, treated with as much respect as the heads of the clans themselves. Indeed many lords often seek out these individuals for their abilities in battle and knowledge of the mystical realm. Some powerful Diviners are even capable of leading clans of their own, often having schools to teach their next generation of magic users.
Diviner
M4 WS4 BS4 S3 T3 W3 I3 A2 Ld8
Mystic
M4 WS4 BS4 S3 T3 W2 I3 A2 Ld7
Ninjas
Within Nippon there are legends of a shadowy force of people called the ninjas. Some say that this is where the Skaven Eshin Clan got their inspiration from, a group of supposed spies, scouts, and assassins that are one with shadows and subterfuge. Some say they are nothing but a myth, while others swear their own lords command a few for their cause. Some say they are warriors of the night, clad in black garb and vicious weaponry, while others say they look as unassuming as possible such as harmless looking peasants. They are very much real but they are a mix of fact and fiction. Some so called ninjas are nothing more than guerrilla fighters and thieves, some are actual Bushi or the like who have more dishonorable fighting tactics, and finally there are the fabled assassins that can appear out of nowhere and deliver attacks that can kill even the mightiest of men. Whatever the cases may be, those who know the true nature of ninjas are always on guard for no one truly knows what they are capable of and if their contracts are as good as they claim to be.
Special rules: Ambushers, A Killer, not a Leader (Ninja Assassin and Ninja Shadow Walker only), Hidden (Ninja Assassin and Ninja Shadow Walker only), Dodge, Scouts, Vanguard
Mikos and Monks
In the very spiritual realm of Nippon, the men and women who attend to the service of the religious orders are the monks and mikos. While most are non combatant, many others do devote themselves to the ways of war to protect the temples and holy grounds. The warrior monks are very famous for their devotion to battle, very similar to that of the Bushi. Mikos are not much of a frontline unit, but their prayers can boost the moral and fighting abilities of those around them and their arrows are blessed by the gods themselves to aid against evil spirits.
Special rules: Warrior's Honor (monk units only), Monk Prowess (monk units only), Fast Cavalry (Mounted Monk Abbot and Warrior Monk Cavalry only), Miko Prayers (miko units only), Magical Attacks (miko units only), Holy Arrows (miko units only), Magical Resistance 1 (Revered Miko only)
Attendants
The bulk of most of a clan's martial power comes from armed men bounded to a lord. While lacking in high quality training or equipment, these men still bear their clan's symbol with considerable pride and make up for their lack of raw power with superior numbers
Attendants
M4 WS3 BS3 S3 T3 W1 I3 A1 Ld7
Attendant Cavalry
M4 WS3 BS3 S3 T3 W1 I3 A1 Ld7
Attendant Veteran
M4 WS3 BS3 S3 T3 W1 I3 A2 Ld7
Peasant Levy
In times of desperation, some lords press local peasants into battle. These poor men and women are even less trained and equipped compared to Attendants and are little more than cannon fodder to the army. Still some individuals see power in the mass. Indeed many leaders can inspire the levies to keep fighting, and religious leaders especially can gather hundreds if not thousands of followers from the peasants to oppose their enemies. Even Bushi can be felled by a hundred stabs from peasants.
Peasant Levy
M4 WS2 BS2 S3 T3 W1 I2 A1 Ld5
Peasant Elder
M4 WS2 BS2 S3 T3 W1 I2 A2 Ld6
Ronin
When a lord of a clan is killed and is left without any clear lines of succession or the inheritor is deemed unfit, the now unbound Bushi become the fabled Ronin. Ronin are typically seasoned veterans of many battles, surviving many conflicts both when their lord was alive and dead. Ronin are typically wandering warriors, some acting as mercenaries to other clans, others independent fighters picking up any challenge that heeds them, and celebrated few track down those responsible for the deaths of their master.
Ronin Wanderer
M4 WS6 BS5 S4 T4 W2 I5 A3 Ld9
Ronin
M4 WS5 BS4 S3 T3 W1 I4 A2 Ld9
Special rules: Warrior's Honor, A Fighter, not a Leader (Ronin Wanderer only), Unit of Champions
Sealers
Not all followers and assistants of Diviners and Mystics are their apprentices. Many are Sealers, brave souls who take up the dangerous occupancy to actively seek and root out malevolent spirits and monsters in Nippon. Armed with magic fueled seals, Sealers can stop lesser monsters in their tracks and even give power daemons an even fight.
Kami Riders
The most talented of warriors in Nippon seek out the kami, or spirits, of the land. The larger kami posses incredible strength and if tamed, which is a dangerous task to complete, they can become a warrior's greatest asset. Kami Riders are a sight to behold on the battlefield, graceful yet terrifying at the same time. The heroes and lords of Nippon themselves may also be strong enough to control the Great Kami who almost rival the power of dragons
Special rule: Warrior's Honor, Fear (Kami only), Terror (Great Kami only), Impact Hits (Kami only), Impact Hits (D3+1) (Great Kami only), Large Target (Great Kami only), +6 Ward Save (Kami only), +5 Ward Save (Great Kami only)
Divine Temple
When war escalates, the wizards of Nippon find themselves in need of greater power. To collectively gather the raw winds of magic around them, they have built mobile temples that act as a focal point for magic. Carried by monks, these Divine Temples as they call them are but a piece of the grandeur of Nippon.
Special rules: Mobile Temple, Magic Collector, Armor Save +4, Monk Prowess
Miko Shrine
The main duties of the mikos is to tend the numerous shrines of the gods throughout the land. While on the outside these shrines look harmless, they too posses power like the mikos that care for them.
Special rules: Magical Attacks, Holy Arrows, Shrine of the Gods, Reinvigorating Aura
Nipponese Dragon
Dragons in Nippon are quite different from their Old World counterparts. Instead of wings, they ride on their own innate magical powers. They slither through the sky and sea almost like a snake does. Powerful and intelligent creatures, only the most resolute of warlords can ever have a chance of taming, or at the very least bargaining.
Special Rules
Discipline
Way of the Sword: Models with this discipline have a parry save regardless if using a hand weapon, two hand weapons, or a great weapon on foot. If they only have a hand weapon, they have a +5 parry
Way of the Spear: Models with this discipline gain Fight in Extra Ranks and +1I when armed with spears or halberds
Way of the Bow: Models with this discipline have their Longbows shooting with S4 at close range and never suffer any modifiers for firing at long range
Way of the Horse: Models with this discipline gain Devastating Charge and their mounts gain +1M
Discipline Master: Bushi Master and Kami Rider units gain the following additional abilities when choosing a discipline
Way of the Sword: Always may use a parry save regardless of flank or rear charges
Way of the Spear: Additional +1I during the first round of combat
Way of the Bow: May reroll to hit rolls of 1
Way of the Horse: Gain Armor Piercing on a charge
Shieldless Land: Nippon is a land that does not use the shield. Any Magic Item Shields may never be taken
Warrior's Honor: Characters and Unit Champions with this rule must accept challenges issued to them. In challenges they may take a leadership check and if successful, they may re roll all failed to hit rolls.
Monk Prowess: Units with this rule may use any weapons they are armed with in any combination, choose which weapon types to use per combat phase. They may also always Stand and Shoot as a reaction to a charge.
A Fighter, not a Leader: Although Ninja Shadow Walkers, Ninja Assassins, and Ronin Wanderers are character models, units other than Ninja Fighters can not use Ninja Shadow Walker or Ninja Assassin’s Leadership and units other than Ronin cannot use Ronin Wanderer's Leadership. They also may never be chosen as your Army General.
Hidden: Any Ninja Shadow Walkers and Ninja Assassins may start the game hidden in any infantry unit in the army. Hidden models are not placed on the table but are assumed to move with the unit they accompany. At the start of the game, secretly note down which unit they are hidden in. If the unit is wiped out or flees off the table before the model is revealed then the model is lost. Before he is revealed there is no other way the models can be harmed. Hidden models can be revealed at the start of any friendly turn or at the start of any Close Combat phase. The owning player declares that his unit contains a Ninja Shadow Walkers and Ninja Assassin and places the model where it can fight, displacing a normal rank-and-file model (not a character, champion, musician or standard bearer unless there are no other options). Displaced models go to the back of the unit.
Dodge: Because of the incredible reflexes of ninjas, they posses a ward save to represent their skill. Ninja Fighters have a +6 Dodge Save, and Ninja Champions, Assassins, and Shadow Walkers have +5 save
Ninja Arts: Ninja Assassins and Shadow Walkers generate spells just like wizards, however these are cast as Bound Spells. Ninja Assassins count as Level 1 for the purposes of generation and Ninja Shadow Walkers count as Level 2. They may generate spells from the Lore of Fire, Lore of Metal, Lore of Shadows, or Lore of Death. These spells do not count towards the number of spells you can have in an army
Miko Prayers: Miko units generate spells just like wizards, however these are cast as Bound Spells. Revered Mikos count as Level 2 Wizards for the purposes of generation and Battle Miko units count as a level equal to every 10 models. They may generate spells from the Lore of Beasts, Lore of Light, Lore of Life, or Lore of Heavens. These spells do not count towards the number of spells you can have in an army
Holy Arrows: Units armed with these have S4 Flaming Attack bows against Daemons and Undead.
Unit of Champions: Any Ronin model in a Ronin Unit may declare and accept Challenges
Mobile Temple: The Divine Temple acts exactly like a chariot but does not cause impact hits. And since the warrior monks are carrying the temple, they cannot shoot if they have moved.
Magic Collector: For every Divine Temple, roll a D3 at the beginning of every round turn to determine the effectiveness of the temple
1: The mounted character gains +1 to cast spells
2: Add a power dice to the pool for every friendly wizard within 2”
3: Add a dispel dice to the pool for every friendly wizard within 2”
Seals: Sealers may use one seal type per turn
Element Seals: These seals are used in the shooting phase, they are magical throwing axes with Flaming Attacks and Armor Piercing
Shikigami Attack Seal: These seals are used in the shooting phase. This is a Stand and Shoot shooting attack. The entire unit fires as one stone thrower with the following profile- Range 6*”S2** (* multiply by the amount of complete ranks in this unit. **add +1S for every 10 models). If a misfire is rolled, remove D3 sealers as casualties
Guard Shikigami Seal: This seal is used during your movement phase, a friendly unit within 12” and in LOS of the sealers gain a +6 Ward Save. If they already have a Ward, improve it by +1.
Banishment Seals: These seals are used in the Close Combat phase. The models cause Killing Blow to Daemons and Undead
Stoic Resolve: Sealers may reroll failed Fear and Terror Tests
Shrine of the Gods: Battle Miko units and Revered Miko within 2” the Miko Shrine may reroll one power dice for their bound spells.
Reinvigorating Aura: Once per turn, choose one friendly unit within 12” of the Miko Shrine. They gain a +6 Regeneration Save and Magic Resistance (1)
Kami Riders (and Kami of course) are Monster Cav, Great Kami and Dragon are Monsters, Divine Temple is a altered Chariot, Miko Shrine is Artillery (something like the cauldron of blood?), everything else is Infantry
Bushi, Bushi Cavalry, Bushi Masters, and Kami Riders have hand weapon and light armor, Heavy Sword Bushi have Great weapon, everyone else has hand weapon
Unit Slot info and their equipment, havent implemented unit commands here yet though
Spoiler:
Lords
Clan Lord
M4 WS6 BS6 S4 T4 W3 I5 A3 Ld9
May take one of the following: Additional Hand Weapon, Spear (if mounted), Halberd, Great Weapon, Long Bow
May take one of the following: Light Armor, Heavy Armor
May take one of the following: Way of the Sword, Way of the Spear, Way of the Bow, Way of the Horse
May be mounted on one of the following: Warhorse, Kami, Great Kami, Nipponese Dragon
Ninja Shadow Walker
M5 WS7 BS7 S4 T4 W3 I7 A4 Ld9
May take one of the following: Additional Hand Weapon, Great Weapon
May take one of the following: Throwing Weapons, Sling, Bow
May take: Light Armor
Diviner
M4 WS4 BS4 S3 T3 W3 I3 A2 Ld8
May be upgraded to Level 4
May be mounted on one of the following: Warhorse, Kami, Divine Temple
Heroes
Clan Leader
M4 WS5 BS5 S4 T4 W2 I4 A3 Ld8
May take one of the following: Additional Hand Weapon, Spear (if mounted), Halberd, Great Weapon, Long Bow
May take one of the following: Light Armor, Heavy Armor
May take one of the following: Way of the Sword, Way of the Spear, Way of the Bow, Way of the Horse
May be mounted on one of the following: Warhorse, Kami, Great Kami
Ninja Assassin
M5 WS5 BS5 S4 T4 W2 I6 A3 Ld8
May take one of the following: Additional Hand Weapon, Great Weapon
May take one of the following: Throwing Weapons, Sling, Bow
May take: Light Armor
Mystic
M4 WS4 BS4 S3 T3 W2 I3 A2 Ld7
May be upgraded to Level 2
May be mounted on one of the following: Warhorse, Kami
Monk Abbot
M4 WS4 BS4 S4 T4 W2 I3 A3 Ld8
May take one of the following: Additional Hand Weapon, Spear (if mounted), Halberd, Great Weapon
May take Long Bow
May take Light Armor
May be mounted on one of the following: Warhorse, Kami
Revered Miko
M4 WS4 BS4 S3 T3 W2 I3 A2 Ld7
May take one of the following: Additional Hand Weapon, Halberd
May take Bow
May take Holy Arrows
May take Light Armor
Ronin Wanderer
M4 WS6 BS5 S4 T4 W2 I5 A3 Ld9
May take one of the following: Additional Hand Weapon, Spear, Halberd, Great Weapon, Long Bow
May take one of the following: Light Armor, Heavy Armor
May take one of the following: Way of the Sword, Way of the Spear, Way of the Bow
Core
Bushi
M4 WS4 BS4 S3 T3 W1 I4 A1 Ld8
May take one of the following: Additional Hand Weapon, Spear, Halberd, Long Bow
May upgrade Light Armor to Heavy Armor
May take one of the following: Way of the Sword, Way of the Spear, Way of the Bow
Warrior Monks may take any of the following: Halberd, Great Weapon, Long Bow
A few questions to the few that read this
1. Does this army feel warhammery?
2. Is it different enough?
3. Is it too complex?
4. Is this base any good or would it be better to scrap most of it?
5. Is this current format too hard, or even illegible, to read?
This message was edited 5 times. Last update was at 2012/06/02 17:46:24
2012/06/02 17:37:25
Subject: Nippon fanbook! (I'm not every good at this am I?)
Most Nippon lists I see have over-stats making super humans. This list is pretty tame; though it is chaulked full of special rules.
I would consider expanding the fluff and including Oni in the army. Humans as core with Oni specials and rares would give this list a very different feel than empire.
Most Nippon lists seem like empire with special rules.
If you're making a new army book based on T3 infantry, figure out what makes it really be different than empire or high elves.
For starters, I'd recommend 2 special lores, (Yin/Yang) and make wizards split spells evenly between them (so only level 2 or level 4 wizards).
Yea I can see why it is bland, I'm actually trying to keep it human only for now. Was thinking of making a separate book for the Non human side of Nippon though I may add in some non humans later.
Yin Yang is more of a chinese/cathay thing though. Though I guess I could think up of a lore.
And yea, I'm wondering how to limit all the special rules. Not even chaos warriors or daemons have all these goodies. For starters I guess I'll get rid of Magical attacks and holy arrows from mikos. Not even HE have access to that type of gear
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2012/06/02 21:59:49
2012/06/20 06:40:25
Subject: Nippon fanbook! Very rough wip (I'm not every good at this am I?)
Ugh, I havent been working on this at all. So much stuff to fix
Lotet wrote:I would have thought thier swords would be better than other armies. like having Armour Piercing for Hand Weapons.
Errr I'm not one of those ZOMG KATANAS ARE SO MUCH BETTER type of people. Heck I bet those people dont even know what a Tachi is.
Tiarna Fuilteach wrote:Greatswords with ASF and devastating charge sound way too good but as its a draft..........
They only wear light armor (though they have a parry with Way of the Sword) and lack Stubborn, or at least thats the plan. So they're basically like WoC with halberds with MoT, but worse stats and take special points
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2012/06/20 13:19:55
2012/06/20 18:41:51
Subject: Nippon fanbook! Very rough wip (I'm not every good at this am I?)
kenshin620 wrote:Ugh, I havent been working on this at all. So much stuff to fix
Lotet wrote:I would have thought thier swords would be better than other armies. like having Armour Piercing for Hand Weapons.
Errr I'm not one of those ZOMG KATANAS ARE SO MUCH BETTER type of people. Heck I bet those people dont even know what a Tachi is.
Tiarna Fuilteach wrote:Greatswords with ASF and devastating charge sound way too good but as its a draft..........
They only wear light armor (though they have a parry with Way of the Sword) and lack Stubborn, or at least thats the plan. So they're basically like WoC with halberds with MoT, but worse stats and take special points
Taking special points isn't really an issue when you can spend 50% of your points there.
ASF with great weapon, are you ignoring ASL, or having the two cancle out? It matters, because former is just striking at S5, the latter gives you S5 with re-rolls to hit (ala swordmaster style).
kenshin620 wrote:Errr I'm not one of those ZOMG KATANAS ARE SO MUCH BETTER type of people.
it almost sounds like you're saying I'm one of those people to suggest they deduct 1 point of armour.
HawaiiMatt wrote:ASF with great weapon, are you ignoring ASL, or having the two cancle out? It matters, because former is just striking at S5, the latter gives you S5 with re-rolls to hit (ala swordmaster style).
well, on page 66 of the BRB it says they cancel each other out.
anyway...
http://www.scribd.com/doc/52014631/Nippon this book is already finished and was made years ago, still faithfully updated for current rules. scroll down 2/3 of the way down to get to the units unless you just LOVE walls of text. I personally can't stand to read that much on a computer, I need it on paper.
2012/06/22 03:58:07
Subject: Nippon fanbook! Very rough wip (I'm not every good at this am I?)
It's a really, really tough thing to find a place for a Nippon army. Pull back from the special rules too much and they might as well just be Empire with gunpowder (peasants are spearmen, samurai are greatswords) but put in too many special rules and they're High Elves (peasants are spearmen, samurai are Swordmasters).
That said, I think the base you have is about right. Just need to play around with it to give the army a really unique feel. I think possibly a unique magic deck with a lot of spells built around mobility and rapid strikes could make a lot of difference.
Oh, and why are Ronin so much better than Samurai?
Lotet wrote:it almost sounds like you're saying I'm one of those people to suggest they deduct 1 point of armour.
The problem is that Japanese weapons typically had more problem with armour than their . It'd make more sense to give them a Str boost, but stating that Str boost did not improve their armour mod.
“We may observe that the government in a civilized country is much more expensive than in a barbarous one; and when we say that one government is more expensive than another, it is the same as if we said that that one country is farther advanced in improvement than another. To say that the government is expensive and the people not oppressed is to say that the people are rich.”
Adam Smith, who must have been some kind of leftie or something.
2012/06/22 04:09:35
Subject: Nippon fanbook! Very rough wip (I'm not every good at this am I?)
HawaiiMatt wrote:
Taking special points isn't really an issue when you can spend 50% of your points there.
I disagree with that. Because you still have the "Core tax". Kind of like how if you want to use a non-guttmagic butcher. Except guttmagic is great. Special, while 50%, is still limited to 3 units. In small games it really does matter. Like 1000 or less. Having 250 pts be core and likely 250 for hero.
I don't see great weapons anywhere in traditional Japanese weaponry. A great weapon does 3 things, it cancels armor, cancels toughness, and is so unbelievably heavy it makes no matter how fast you are irrelevant. European 2H-swords were designed around fighting in platemail. Same with great hammers. But no foot sword was that heavy in Japan. Their horse swords maybe were, cuz, you know, you had to be able to reach the someone on the ground, but that would probably translate as impact hits. They didn't have turtle-encased plate/chain/scale steel armor. And as spiffy as lamellar armor was, it just wasn't solid metal--and it didn't need to be, they had different kinds of warfare. Someone wielding a 6 pound battleaxe on a Japanese battlefield would probably get cut down before he could swing it back. It's just too slow. It's a different purpose.
An ogre club isn't a great weapon. An ogre wielding an iron-encased tree is. Great weapons are big, fat, heavy. Even elfy swordmasters are wielding weapons nearly as tall as they are and 1/3 as wide. If Nippon = Japan, those weapons never existed there. At least not in swords. Anyone can pick up a big tree.
sebster wrote:It's a really, really tough thing to find a place for a Nippon army. Pull back from the special rules too much and they might as well just be Empire with gunpowder (peasants are spearmen, samurai are greatswords) but put in too many special rules and they're High Elves (peasants are spearmen, samurai are Swordmasters).
I thought that Nippon would be closer to Skaven and not just because they have Ninjas. the Stormvermin being WS4, I5, wear Heavy Armour, is good and the Halberds they wield is a good enough representation of the 2 Handed Killing blow that the movies show. plus Queek Headtaker makes a great replacement for a heroic general type along with his Elite Stormvermin unit.
I guess it really does depend on how you want to play.
2012/06/22 08:42:23
Subject: Nippon fanbook! Very rough wip (I'm not every good at this am I?)
Surtur wrote:Duke, go look up no-dachi or odachi. But make sure you wear a helmet or your mind will be blown.
I believe I said this.
"The average length of an ōdachi is 65–70 inches long (approx 165–178 cm), often with a 4–5 foot blade. This made them unsuitable for close-quarters combat. Instead, they are commonly believed to have been used by fighters on horseback, as the blade length would allow them to take down infantry (without risk of being pulled off their mount)."
Automatically Appended Next Post: You can always counts-as and use any models you want.
Though the whole super cowardice skaven doesn't fit as well.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2012/06/22 08:43:53
