Thank you for the feedback! I'm going to go through it point by point, to try and explain my reasoning...
evil_kiwi_60 wrote:A flat minus 1 on all the carnivores and hounds is very strong.
BS 4+ will be hitting on 6+ for most of the game. Anyone playing units with those might as well not play the game.
Fieldcraft is certainly very attractive, but it's worth noting that the same mechanic exists for Scouts (T4, Sv4+) and Rangers (T3, Sv5+).
Fieldcraft is at its best against powerful, low-shot weapons, but those weapons are quite rare in Kill Team. It's useless outside of cover, against flamers, against models with an auspex or a similar ability, and in the entire Fight phase; a particularly notable downside for a kill team that has almost no Tactics or gear that
aren't focused on close combat.
Even when it applies, Fieldcraft is directly comparable to +1 Toughness against most guns in kill team. A lasgun will score 0.14 wounds against a Kroot in cover, and 0.18 wounds against an Ork in cover. Outside of cover, the lasgun will score 0.42 wounds against Kroot and 0.27 wounds against the Ork. A boltgun gets 0.37 against a Kroot in cover, and 0.42 against an Ork in cover, while outside of cover it scores 0.74 vs 0.55. It's really cool, yes - but on models as fragile as Kroot, it's nowhere close to being the most out-there defensive ability available to models of its type. Without it, Kroot are obscenely flimsy - as easy to kill as a Termagant.
evil_kiwi_60 wrote:Impact canisters are essentially kroot powerfists and yet they only cost 1 point.
2 points, actually; the same as Imperial Guard power fists with the same statline. That said, testing has suggested they either need to be bumped up to 3pts or bumped down to
AP-2; it's not right to compare them to Imperial Guard power fists, because you only get one of those (the Tempestor) and not many Tactics to boost it, while the Kroot can have up to three impact canisters and enjoys plenty of support, making them most comparable to big choppas or heavy rock saws. A big choppa costs the same, but loses -2AP in exchange for being usable even when you're charged. A heavy rock saw costs twice as much, but has +1AP, +2Str, and can be used even when you're charged. Now, obviously direct comparisons like this are meaningless without context, but further comparison and testing definitely suggests impact canisters need to be 3pts,
AP-2, or come with some more severe downside. Thank you for adding your thoughts!
evil_kiwi_60 wrote:A “flying” krootox is hardly balanced or reasonable. For that matter handing out fly for 1CP is pretty nuts.
That's actually a copy of a Tyranid Tactic (Predatory Leap), just... a bit weaker, because Tyranids are notably faster and better in combat than Kroot. A Lictor moves just as fast, is somewhat tougher, is even a bit cheaper, and hits considerably harder than a Krootox in combat. The main reason it exists is because Kroot rely so heavily on terrain that they pretty much
need some way to get around impassable terrain when necessary. One thing I
am considering now that you've brought it back to my attention is limiting the Advance aspect, either removing it or removing the bonus movement distance when you Advance with this Tactic.
evil_kiwi_60 wrote:Being able to barrel stuff that kroot gun afterwards for another 1CP just makes it worse.
That's actually an alternate version of the White Dwarf Kroot Tactic called Primal Savagery, which just allowed you to Fight twice. This version has no pile in/consolidate, -1 to hit, and less reliable damage, but +1S/
AP and the option to fire at someone outside of "your combat". I like the extra flexibility and the emphasis of the mounted, paired-up nature of the Krootox Rider.
evil_kiwi_60 wrote:Falling back is a major mechanic of the game. Invalidating it’s use for 1
CP is a bit over the top. There’s almost no reason not to use this ability
This is actually another copied Tactic - namely, Cegorach's Jest, the Harlequin Tactic. The difference is that Harlequins get to shoot rather than attacking; assuming you're using this on a Kroot Fighter, means that the Kroot gets 2-3 WS3+ S4 attacks, while the Eldar gets to fire a fusion pistol, neuro disruptor, or set of plasma grenades.
Another comparison point might be the Thousand Sons Malicious Familiar, or the Ork Gnasher Squig/Death Guard Nurgling Infestation. Those deal a mortal wound on a 4+ for 1-2
CP (so an average of 0.25-0.5 wounds per
CP), while a Kroot Fighter Combat Specialist deals 0.33 wounds per
CP to a Marine, but it relies on the enemy falling back from you in the first place. Eh. Might be worth another look, but 2CP would definitely be too much. It could even be another 4+ mortal wound Tactic, actually, just triggering on Fall Back rather than Leader.
evil_kiwi_60 wrote:Points wise you can max out with all 5 of the special carnivores, take a krootox, and still grab a few more carnivores. There’s very little you need to sacrifice in this list.
In short this is an incredibly strong kill team that seems to actively ignore all of the best counters to it. In addition it has easy access to abilities that ignore major portions of the rules
This is partly the result of catering to the existing model set. I can't add specialist weapons, the way other kill teams use, say, a flamer or a sniper rifle, because those models don't exist. Instead, the existing models need to be upgraded, which precludes "losing" options in exchange. Everything has to be a direct upgrade, which can leave roles that would feel "specialist" in another kill team seeming more of a no-brainer here.
As a result, this kill team leans a lot on the flexibility of individual models, while also relying on situational boosts (e.g. impact canister only on a charge, fieldcraft only in cover, stalk only on fall back). The problem that's been encountered a few times in testing is that the flexibility isn't as valuable as it could be, while the situational boosts are easy enough to arrange that the "discount" they've received is too much.
The current plan is to bump Impact Canisters down to
AP-2, increase Steelplume Plate to 2 points, knock Depleted Pulse Rounds down to 24" Range, and maybe fiddle a bit with how Agile Hunter works.
