Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

We all know a psyker can sacrifice himself to bring a greater daemon into reality but what about a unit of cultists?
I was reminded of DoW: Chaos rising today and one memory I had of that was a group of cultists sacrificing themselves to bring daemons into this world.
So here is the rule:

Sacrificial Relic ~30pts
If a unit of cultists takes a mark of chaos they may take the Sacrificial relic rule.
Before the game begins the controlling player nominates one objective on the board to be a Sacrificial relic. If the cultist unit makes it within base contact of the objective they may attempt to sacrifice themselves to their chosen God. Roll a d6, on a roll of a 6 the cultist unit is removed and a greater daemon of their chosen God is placed where within 2" of the objective. If any other number is rolled the cultist unit removes a model with no saves of any kind allowed. The controlling player may attempt this roll on all of their turns as long as they hold the relic.

Thoughts?

I like it but would prefer more player choice than randomness. Player can choose how many cultists in the unit to sacrifice, for each cultist sacrificed, roll a d6 and if any are 6s, the unit is replaced with a greater daemon, if none are rolled, the sacrificed cultists are removed from play.

It's still a greater daemon for 80 points, and you will always pick the objective you placed on the edge of your deployment zone. I'm not sure it's really a sacrifice, even while you are failing roles, you have an os unit camping on an objective. It's got potential, maybe a zealot becomes the daemon after sacrificing them, so the sacrifice is more substantial?

@JamesY
I assume you mean a dark apostle?
The problem there is that now the points to summon a thirster has gone up from 100pts to 215pts. Yes you are saving 35pts but it is only a 1/6 chance per turn after you get to the objective.

@Gordon
The problem then becomes that it is almodt certain that you can create a bloodthirster from 100pts. There needs to be some risk to it.

Well there are a couple problems

- How many times can I do this? As written i can have several units of cultists on the objective and have them test for it every turn and all of them will turn into Greater Daemons eventually
- When can I do this in my turn
- Strictly speaking it's currently written in a way that lets me attempt this in my opponent's turn as well ("turn" = player turm)
- What do you do when you are playing a mission without objectives (like Kill Points?)

1. Should I change it to a chaos artifact so that only one can be taken in an army?
2. Should I put it as start of the movement phase or end?
3. I'll change the wording.
4. How would you change it so that it could be used during kill point games?

 mrhappyface wrote:
@JamesY
I assume you mean a dark apostle?
The problem there is that now the points to summon a thirster has gone up from 100pts to 215pts. Yes you are saving 35pts but it is only a 1/6 chance per turn after you get to the objective.

@Gordon
The problem then becomes that it is almodt certain that you can create a bloodthirster from 100pts. There needs to be some risk to it.

Yeah I meant a dark apostle. Been a hell of a long week so far...

Maybe a sorcerer then? It just needs something to make it more of a sacrifice, 140 points might be more reasonable?

@JamesY
If you use a sorceror you can't sacrifice to become a thirster because it can't take a mark of Khorne. What if the points of the relic itself were increased instead? 50/60pt upgrade?

 mrhappyface wrote:
@JamesY
If you use a sorceror you can't sacrifice to become a thirster because it can't take a mark of Khorne. What if the points of the relic itself were increased instead? 50/60pt upgrade?

Ah I didn't realise you were specifically gearing towards a thirster. A higher point value on the item might do it.

 JamesY wrote:

 mrhappyface wrote:
@JamesY
If you use a sorceror you can't sacrifice to become a thirster because it can't take a mark of Khorne. What if the points of the relic itself were increased instead? 50/60pt upgrade?

Ah I didn't realise you were specifically gearing towards a thirster. A higher point value on the item might do it.

I think he's gearing it towards any greater daemon, depending on what mark the unit has. So Sorcerors would be leaving out Bloodthirsters, since they can't take MoK.

I would much rather them perform a ritual then a sacrifice. Think DoW 2 rather then DoW 1, where a cultist unit can choose to not move or shoot but begin a ritual that grants some kind of buff or debuff to units around them, size depending on the size of the cultist squad. Units performing a ritual cannot go to ground.

10 man squad = 6''
20 man squad = 12''
30 man squad = 18''

Undivided/unmarked = Chaos units with a model within the distance may re-roll leadership tests and re-roll Eye of the Gods. Enemy units within range suffer -1 leadership.

Khorne = Khorne marked-Chaos units with a model within the distance gain hatred while they stay within range. All Psychic Powers originating from or targetted at any unit with a model within the distance suffer a -1 to manifesting psychic dice (e.g 4+ to a 5+ usually). <- A bit more powerful than the rest because it takes more planning to set up a ritual with limited range near a close combat fight.

Tzeetch = All area within the distance becomes difficult terrain that Tzeentch-marked Chaos units ignore. <- Tzeetch Lists are slow or shooty, these would slow other people down as well. Imagine the area around the ritual getting all mutated-y.

Nurgle = All units within the distance gain stealth but suffer a -1 to their WS and I. Nurgle Marked units are uneffected.

Slaanesh = While performing this ritual all Slaanesh-marked models within range gain FnP(6+), but the cultist unit suffers d3 Str 3 ap- hits for every 10 models in the squad at the end of the owning players movement phase. <-- Think torture orgy, except don't, because that would be weird.

Much cooler but less game changing then summoning a greater daemon.