Rivadis Empire (Vampire Count in space !) Update (08/13/2014)

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**xalvissx**

Hello guys

You probably know me already through my first fandex: Icedales Cult
I got the idea for this army from the flash game "Takeover", which you can find here: http://armorgames.com/play/13880/
While the game is simple, the ideas are interesting and hard to bypass. In addition, I alway love to make a Vampire Count codex for 40k, so I guess it is killing two birds with one stone.
My army will be inspired primarily by Vampire Count and the original Rivadis Empire from Takeover, with bits of Tomb Kings and the Scourge from WoW throwed in.

That does not mean that I've finished with the Icedales Cult codex, so please check it out regularly

The fluff:

Spoiler:

The Rivadis system, located on the uncharted region of Segmentum Pacificus, is embroiled in civil war. First colonized during the Dark Age of Technology, all communication with other human's settlements is cut of during the massive warpstorm that engulfed the galaxy and destroyed the glorious human civilization. The entire intersellar confederation was brought on its knees in a relative short time. At first, the colonists of Rivadis tried to carry out their lives as they knew it, but long-term isolation began to take its toll. During this time, several psykers appeared, and they brought with them great suffering. Worlds after worlds fell to daemonic dominance, and soon anarchy and full scale civil war broke out, eerily similar to the disasters that befell human race during this dark times. Three milleniums passed until one power gathered enough strength to overcome all oppositions and bring prosperity back to Rivadis: The Rivadis Empire.
Formed during M33, the Rivadis Empire was centered upon an Emperor and his nobles. After uniting all rival factions, the Empire set to rebuilt what they had lost. Million perished during this harsh times, however by M35 prosperity had taken hold and colonization efforts had spread out to a group of nearby stars. The empire seemed that its Golden Age was close at hand. But the ruling elite wanted more: they wanted to defeated Death itself. The Damned Empress, Lunia Porcia, ordered a group of psykers to work on how to make her immortal. Rumours swept across the worlds of the empire, that the Empress had turned to vile means to survive old age. A crowd of nobles and citizens gathered outside the palace, demanded an answer. The records are not clear, but it is known that the Empress sent her “corpse-like and soulless” royal guard to brutally suppress the demonstration. Several of the guards were observed gorging on the bodies of screaming demonstrators, and seveal pict-captures showed that even the Empress took part in the carnage !
After the incident, the Empress declared martial law and ruled her Empire with and iron fist. Decay and hunger set upon the land, and people were herded into the palace, never to be seen again. But several of the nations on the outskirt of the Empire rebelled against their cruel ruler. The war has raged on ever since, with no clear winners, since the rebel factions are not united. They fight among themselves even when under attack from Rivadis Empire. But they all have the same purpose: To destroy the rotten empire they once served, and restore the system to its former glory. The Empress are not dead, and she represent the hated figure the rebel factions use to rally people to their course. The war will not end, not until the Empress and all oppositions are crushed.

Faction Fluff:

Spoiler:

The Empire now is nearly unrecognizable from what it used to be. Formed by Emperor Midas during M33, the Empire experienced a brief times of peace and prosperity, until the reign of Empress Porcia. Beautiful but vain, immoral and power-hungry, her life was centered around her since she was borned. When she found the first sign of old age unpon her otherwise flawless face, the Empress summoned a coven of alchemists and scientists to fulfill her wish of eternal beauty. Faced with little choice, they went into their lab to work on what would certainly fail. But, against all odds, they succeed, and what they found will change the face of the system forever.
Once the Empress drank from her chalice the mysterious liquid, she was transformed into something much more, but also much less than human. It's not known what happened that fateful day, but one thing people know for certain that the scientists had damned the entire Rivadis bloodlines to eternal Undeath. The old foes were quick to notice, and soon all out war broke out across the system. The endless army of the Empire crushed them utterly, but they retreated to the fringe colonies, where the power of the Empire were weakest, and they have been resisting every attempts to re-conquer by their former ruler.
With the lost of most of the mining colonies, the Empire has been pushed into the brink of collapse, and for thousand of years they tried in vain both to defeated their enemies and prevent their total destruction. They were, and still are the most powerful faction in the civil war, their legions of Undead are without numbers, and their vampiric nobilities are powerful. Yet their enemies are many, and they slowly, but surely, gnaw at the Empire's once majestic realm. On the North are the mysterious Icedales Cult, on the South are the ferocious Crimson Horde, and to the West are the noble Duchy of Westaria. Not only that, but the Empire are also locked in a bitter war of attrition with the Ork of Waaagh ! Uzarg Wazgob on the strategic worlds of Luteria. In this hard times, the Empire was forced to use many desperate measures to hold back the massive onslaught of their enemies: Ancient, powerful instruments of war are taken from the deep vaults of Rivadis; primitive cold weapons are produced in factories that were once meant to manufacture mighty engines of war; buying advance weapons for extreme price from smugglers; the population, both the living and the dead, are conscripted into the army; and the desperate nobles are continuing to sink even deeper into Necromacy, forever damning their souls in the process. The Empire of Rivadis is now only the shadow of its former self, and despite whatever the result of the civil war will be, it is now little more than a wasteland, forever haunted by the bitter and restless dead.

-----End of fluff piece-----

Now to the crunch:

This is what I've been able to make. I'm stuck in some place, so I seriously need some help

I'll add more later.

So, what do you guys think ?

v1.0

**xalvissx**

LARGE UPDATE:
- Add Warlord Traits
- Resurrecting Fallen Warriors better clarified (...If the resurrected model’s unit is locked in combat, the resurrected model immediately makes a Pile In move.)
- Vigour Mortis now only add +1 I and +1 WS to the affected unit.
- Fix the mistakes in Zombies's entry
- Zombie unit can now take up to 50 models
- Replaced Putrid Flesh with Fresh Bodies.
- Add Refugees (Troops)
- Add Vampire Assassins (Elites)
- Add Vargoyles (FA)
- Add Dagger of Malice (Melee Weapon)

**SkavenLord**

Alright so, wow the zombies might need some work. Even if they can come in groups of 50, they aren't very effective. If you wanted weak units, Gretchen or termagaunts have some decent statlines for large mobs of infantry. Also, there wouldn't happen to be any units that could function as heavy support choices would there?

**xalvissx**

SkavenLord wrote:
Alright so, wow the zombies might need some work. Even if they can come in groups of 50, they aren't very effective. If you wanted weak units, Gretchen or termagaunts have some decent statlines for large mobs of infantry. Also, there wouldn't happen to be any units that could function as heavy support choices would there?

Thank you for your comment

you see, I imported the zombies's stats right from WHFB Vampire Count's army list. I don't think they need to be stronger, as the Empire psychic powers can support them adequately. They can also be raised above their starting size by Invocation of the Reaper, and Necromancer is not the only unit in my army has access to Necromancy discipline (I'll add them later); a 50 unit of Zombies can be raised to 60, 70, heck, even 100 models ! At that unit size they are a considerable threat to most units, so I don't think they need to be stronger.

And about Heavy Support, I've just add them

The fandex is not finished yet, and there is a lot more to do, but I don't have much time and experience, so I posted it here for people to see my progress and, if they can, help me with balance issue

UPDATE:
- Add Shade (HS)
- Add Lore to existing ranged weapons.
- Add Volley Fire to Bow.
- Fulminating Gem now loses Blast, range reduced to 12", gains Gets Hot !

**SkavenLord**

The Shade looks like fun. You don't suppose the shade has any ranged weapons other than the psychic power does he?

Also, if you would like to add more psyker powers, the biomancy powers are pretty good for buffs. Telepathy is also pretty fun for vampires (if these are sort of like mind controlling vampires).

**Slayer le boucher**

A well made and interesting Mini dex.

But their is two or three things that i wonder of.

Why the heck would someone ever take a refugee unit at All.

i mean what is the incitive?, i know that some codexes and rules like to make you shoot yourself in the foot, but giving your Opponent Free units and Free VP, thats something new.

There should be a pretty darn good incitive for a Rivadis player to pick up one of those, like if they are killed by an undead unit they rise as undead themselfs or something.

But even so, their interest in gameplay are NULL.

Also no other special wargear Melee weapon with AP3 outside the BrB power weapons?

ANd i personnaly suggest for the sack of balance to replace the Hunger rule from the Dreadlord.

Either make him do a test for each 3 or 5 models killed.

or simply give him the It Will Not Die rule if he inflicted an unsaved wound to a model during the CC phase, for each 3( or 4 or more ) wounds he inflicts in that CC phase he gains a +1 on the IWND roll.

**xalvissx**

UPDATE:
- Vampire Assassins can now be taken in unit of 3
- Vargoyles now only cost 8 points/model
- Add Black Reliquary (HS)
- Add Corpse Harvester (Melee Weapon)

SkavenLord wrote:
The Shade looks like fun. You don't suppose the shade has any ranged weapons other than the psychic power does he?

Also, if you would like to add more psyker powers, the biomancy powers are pretty good for buffs. Telepathy is also pretty fun for vampires (if these are sort of like mind controlling vampires).

Thank you

Why yes, The Shade doesn't have any ranged weapon. It is intentional

And I'll take your suggestions onto the drawing board

Slayer le boucher wrote:
A well made and interesting Mini dex.

But their is two or three things that i wonder of.

Why the heck would someone ever take a refugee unit at All.

i mean what is the incitive?, i know that some codexes and rules like to make you shoot yourself in the foot, but giving your Opponent Free units and Free VP, thats something new.

There should be a pretty darn good incitive for a Rivadis player to pick up one of those, like if they are killed by an undead unit they rise as undead themselfs or something.

But even so, their interest in gameplay are NULL.

Also no other special wargear Melee weapon with AP3 outside the BrB power weapons?

ANd i personnaly suggest for the sack of balance to replace the Hunger rule from the Dreadlord.

Either make him do a test for each 3 or 5 models killed.

or simply give him the It Will Not Die rule if he inflicted an unsaved wound to a model during the CC phase, for each 3( or 4 or more ) wounds he inflicts in that CC phase he gains a +1 on the IWND roll.

Thank you for your comment

The Refugees are used to hide Vampire Assassins unit and serve as fuel for the (newly added) Black Reliquary. You can read it in their entry

They are meant to be a risky battlefield resource that you must consider in your plan. But the Idea of Refugees turning into Undead is very interesting

I'll consider it

For the AP 3 Weapon part, I want the weapons in my army to have special rules to offset the fact that they don't have any AP, but really, some AP3 melee beatsticks is not gonna hurt

I don't think the Hunger rule is OP. The Dread Lord only regains Wounds on a roll of 6, he doesn't have any gun, and I don't thinks that all of his Attacks will hit

so he can be shot and tarpit to death before he can cause any damage

Automatically Appended Next Post:
Forgot to add: Up to 15 Refugee models can be sacrificed to the Black Reliquary in one Sacrificial Ritual.

**SkavenLord**

Does the amount of refugees sacrificed to the black reliquary reset each turn? Like for example, sacrifice 15 on turn one but on turn 2 it resets to 0 if non are sacrificed?

**xalvissx**

SkavenLord wrote:
Does the amount of refugees sacrificed to the black reliquary reset each turn? Like for example, sacrifice 15 on turn one but on turn 2 it resets to 0 if non are sacrificed?

Yes it resets. Forgot to add "each turn"

Quick Fix:
- Up to 15 Refugees can be sacrificed to the Black Reliquary each turn
- The number of Refugees sacrificed resets after one turn
- Replace "slaves" in Sacrificial Ritual with "Refugees"

**xalvissx**

UPDATE:
- Invocation of the Reaper and Vigour Mortis now only affect friendly Undead and Vampiric units.
- Add Bat Swarms (Troop)
- Add Cannibals (Troop)
- Vargoyles now have 3 Attacks and cost 9 points/model
- Add Death Knights
- Wraith Keepers now have 3 Attacks
- Add Chill Grasp to Corpse Harvester

Automatically Appended Next Post:
-The Death Knights are 20 points/model instead of 18

**Ashiraya**

Aside from a few typos and/or spelling errors ('Undeads' 'Remove the Black Reliquary with a Dread Lord.') this seems rather good. I would definitely try playing against it if it was proposed. There is only one thing it lacks I'd say, some kind of light FMC. A massive bat-creature, perhaps?

**xalvissx**

BrotherHaraldus wrote:
Aside from a few typos and/or spelling errors ('Undeads' 'Remove the Black Reliquary with a Dread Lord.') this seems rather good. I would definitely try playing against it if it was proposed. There is only one thing it lacks I'd say, some kind of light FMC. A massive bat-creature, perhaps?

Thank you

I've fixed that

and about the "massive bat-creature", i present to you the Horrorgheist

UPDATE:
- Add Horrorgheist (FA)
- Corpse Harvester again adds +2 S
- Fix grammar and rule errors

**Dat Guy**

I cant help you, this phone is not downloading or opening your pdf from the fluff and what other comments are it sounds cool ifyou aadded. It to your post like icedales. I could read it. I don't use computers for internet, only smartphones ftw!

**Ashiraya**

For the Red Fury warlord trait, are the extra attacks permanent? Are they boosted to a maximum of 10 or can they go above that?

The Black Reliquary is overcosted for its durability. It hits hard, especially in melee, but the Keepers die very fast to small arms fire and once they are dead the Reliquary is just a 2W model. Make an option to add additional Wraith Keepers, and consider balancing out their hitting power and durability.

The Horrorgheist is undercosted, but not by a lot. Add a few points, 5-15 should be alright. Death Shriek is also much better than Pestilential Breath. Reduce points cost of Breath to 15. Rancid Maw, Poisoned (4+) on a S5 MC? Reduce points cost to 5, you're going to change your usual 2+ or 3+ to wound to a 4+ rerollable, not a huge boost since it locks out rerolls from other sources.

That's everything I can come up with right now. My brain is half dead, I'm going to sleep.

**xalvissx**

BrotherHaraldus wrote:
For the Red Fury warlord trait, are the extra attacks permanent? Are they boosted to a maximum of 10 or can they go above that?

The Black Reliquary is overcosted for its durability. It hits hard, especially in melee, but the Keepers die very fast to small arms fire and once they are dead the Reliquary is just a 2W model. Make an option to add additional Wraith Keepers, and consider balancing out their hitting power and durability.

The Horrorgheist is undercosted, but not by a lot. Add a few points, 5-15 should be alright. Death Shriek is also much better than Pestilential Breath. Reduce points cost of Breath to 15. Rancid Maw, Poisoned (4+) on a S5 MC? Reduce points cost to 5, you're going to change your usual 2+ or 3+ to wound to a 4+ rerollable, not a huge boost since it locks out rerolls from other sources.

That's everything I can come up with right now. My brain is half dead, I'm going to sleep.

Yes thank you

I've fixed those

The Red Fury Warlord Trait now only grant the Warlord and any Vampiric he is with Rage and Counter-attack

and I've raised the cost of Horrorgheist.

UPDATE:
- Red Fury Warlord Trait changed (now only grant the Warlord and any Vampiric he is with Rage and Counter-attack)
- Resurrecting Fallen Warriors: better clarified (If a unit contains both Undead (this include Vampiric models) and non-Undead models, then only Undead models will recover lost Wounds.)
- Invocation of the Reaper better clarified (...targets all non-vehicle friendly units with at least one model with the Undead or Vampiric special rule within 6”. Infantry units gain D6 Wounds (roll for each unit)...)
- Zombie units can now take up to 100 models
- Skeleton Warrior units can now take up to 50 models
- Horrorgheist now cost 180 points
- Infested upgrade for Horrorgheist now inflicts 3D6 S2 AP- on each unit within 6"
- Rancid Maw upgrade for Horrorgheist now grants an additional Attack
- Pestilential Breath upgrade now is S3 and costs 15 points
- Swarm of Flies upgrade now grants defensive grenade, and enemies in base contact with a Horrorgheist with this upgrade have their Weapon Skill reduced by 1.
- Black Reliquary units can now take up to 10 Wraith Keepers.
- Add Abyssal Abominations (HS)
- Add Bile Cannon (Ranged Weapon)
- Add Doomfire Cannon (Ranged Weapon)
- Add Static Rod (Equipment)
- Fix grammar errors

**xalvissx**

MINOR UPDATE:
- Zombies units can take up to only 60 models
- Skeleton units can take up to only 40 models
- Killing Blow cannot affect Swarm
- Crypt Guards and Death Knights can now be equipped with one Static Rod per unit.
- Wraith Keepers can now replace their Robes of Mist with Unholy Armours.
- Add Gets Hot ! to Static Rod shooting attack.

**SisterSydney**

Whoops, I didn't see you had this up!

This is a fascinating army that needs a bit more high-tech to move it from Warhammer Fantasy & Takeover to 40K. As is, I think the Crypt Guards are the only unit that even have real guns as an option. Skeletons have have bows, but that's just out of character for 40K. Why not shambling hordes of undead with autoguns and Frankensteinian abominations with autocannon? That'd be scary, not quaint, and in keeping with 40K mix of magic and technology.

[EDITED to add: I'm not suggesting skeletons with rayguns -- that's pretty much the Necrons' thing. I'd say no energy weapons at all, in fact, everything ranged should be either psyker powers or distinctly old-fashioned, not just as old-fashioned as bows. Instead of your standard fantasy undead, imagine an entire World War I battlefield subjected to blasphemous necromancy, the freshly dead pulling themselves off the barbed wire or out of shell hole with hideous wounds, the half-rotten dead clawing their way out of their shallow graves in the trench walls or from the deep mud that covered them when they died, the whole miserable lot returned unwillingly to the war they thought they had escaped in death, picking up their rifles and machineguns to march on forever...]

The army has a definite character: lots of assault, lots of low-value horde troops (I rather like the bat swarms in particular), a variety of really nasty elites. It just needs a bit more modernity and some serious shooting.

Stray thoughts:

"Locus" rule could be more clearly phrased -- really the bad effects only happen when there is no psyker left with the Necromancy discipline.

Necromancy discipline's Primaris power seems a bit weak -- just 1d6 Wounds recovered for an entire infantry squad in an army of huge infantry squads? -- but the powers that raise slain enemies as new troops are pretty scary.
A question: does Black Terror affect Fearless units? As written it does....

The Hunger needs clarification too, because in the 6th edition rules, you don't really track how many models a specific Independent Character killed in close combat.

Zombies really need WS:2, not 1. and a Leadership higher than 2, because there are some things out there (can't think of them at the moment) that force a Fearless unit to test Leadership anyway.

Units of non-combatants are tricky enough, sacrificing them to power Black Reliquaries is really complicated, and Refugees that suddenly turn into Insurrectionists with autoguns (where'd they get them?) and Ld 7 (weren't they just running away in panic?) just don't make sense.
Hiding Assassins in Refugee units likewise gets really complicated really fast in rules terms. Just give them Infiltrate and/or Deep Strike without scatter.
The Black Reliquary can be powered by enemy models killed within, say, 6".

**xalvissx**

UPDATE:
-Simplify the Locus special rule.
-Black Terror psychic power no longer affect Fearless and ATSKNF units.
-Dreadlord now have IWND instead of the Hunger.
-Zombies have WS2
-Skeleton Warriors can now take Stub Rifle, remove Bow
-REMOVE Refugees (yes, now you can rejoice)
-ADD Corpse Wagon (Dedicated Transport)
-Crypt Guards can now take Corpse Wagon as Transport.
-Hidden in the Shadow and Lightning Attack (Vampire Assasins) changed.
-Black Reliquary now sacrifies friendly non-Undead, non-Vampiric models.
-ADD Chaingun and Gas Launcher

SisterSydney wrote:
Whoops, I didn't see you had this up!

This is a fascinating army that needs a bit more high-tech to move it from Warhammer Fantasy & Takeover to 40K. As is, I think the Crypt Guards are the only unit that even have real guns as an option. Skeletons have have bows, but that's just out of character for 40K. Why not shambling hordes of undead with autoguns and Frankensteinian abominations with autocannon? That'd be scary, not quaint, and in keeping with 40K mix of magic and technology.

[EDITED to add: I'm not suggesting skeletons with rayguns -- that's pretty much the Necrons' thing. I'd say no energy weapons at all, in fact, everything ranged should be either psyker powers or distinctly old-fashioned, not just as old-fashioned as bows. Instead of your standard fantasy undead, imagine an entire World War I battlefield subjected to blasphemous necromancy, the freshly dead pulling themselves off the barbed wire or out of shell hole with hideous wounds, the half-rotten dead clawing their way out of their shallow graves in the trench walls or from the deep mud that covered them when they died, the whole miserable lot returned unwillingly to the war they thought they had escaped in death, picking up their rifles and machineguns to march on forever...]

A very good idea !

I'll taken this approach from now on. Thanks for your suggestion.

Now I can will add some vehicles and the 40k (Undead) British and Germans army are completed.

SisterSydney wrote:
"Locus" rule could be more clearly phrased -- really the bad effects only happen when there is no psyker left with the Necromancy discipline.

Necromancy discipline's Primaris power seems a bit weak -- just 1d6 Wounds recovered for an entire infantry squad in an army of huge infantry squads? -- but the powers that raise slain enemies as new troops are pretty scary.
A question: does Black Terror affect Fearless units? As written it does....

The Hunger needs clarification too, because in the 6th edition rules, you don't really track how many models a specific Independent Character killed in close combat.

Fixed

SisterSydney wrote:
Zombies really need WS:2, not 1. and a Leadership higher than 2, because there are some things out there (can't think of them at the moment) that force a Fearless unit to test Leadership anyway.

Yeah, it seems that WS 1 is simply too low. I've changed that

but Ld is not as important as you think, because they already have Fearless. The low Ld ensures that players have to protect their Locus so their army won't fall apart.

SisterSydney wrote:
Units of non-combatants are tricky enough, sacrificing them to power Black Reliquaries is really complicated, and Refugees that suddenly turn into Insurrectionists with autoguns (where'd they get them?) and Ld 7 (weren't they just running away in panic?) just don't make sense.
Hiding Assassins in Refugee units likewise gets really complicated really fast in rules terms. Just give them Infiltrate and/or Deep Strike without scatter.
The Black Reliquary can be powered by enemy models killed within, say, 6".

Yeah, I've removed the Refugees and changed the rule for Assassins and Black Reliquary

**SisterSydney**

Great to see you back! This could be a really cool army, with even more atmospherics than the Icedales one (because evil is always cooler....), and I look forward to seeing more.

**Ambience 327**

From what I see so far, it looks fairly solid. Don't see any major holes or exploitable rules. Here are few comments I jotted down while reading through:

I think the Vampire Assassin rules should require them to Deep Strike within 6" of an Infantry Unit in order to work, otherwise they Deep Strike as normal. (Otherwise, they are leaping a bit too far from the unit they are hidden within...)

Consider using the rules for Artillery for the Black Reliquary. (Perhaps that's what you intended, since the Black Reliquary itself seems to have the Artillery profile, but your unit type says Infantry, so...) Also, how long do the Bewitched and Unholy Resilience results last? Are they cumulative for multiple Black Reliquaries or multiple applications from the same?

I think Pikes should only provide their Initiative bonus during the first round of close combat. (Whether they charge or ar charged.) Their length becomes more of a liability once the enemy is up close.

How long do the effects of the Blood Vial last? And can you use it only in your own Movement Phase, or can it be used in the the enemy's turn?

It might be nice to add some descriptions to your Equipment items, so that their effects can be better understood from a fluff perspective. For instance, what about the Hand of Glory causes it to prevent Overwatch?